Knowledge management (KM) and innovation contribute to enhancing the intangible capital of organizations, help them gain competitive advantage in their areas of expertise, and improve overall productivity. They also help SMEs become more nimble in meeting the demands and challenges of changing market dynamics.

To assist member country SMEs in using the KM framework, tools, and techniques, the 2018 Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Top Management Forum focused on Knowledge Management and Innovation for SMEs. Held in Nadi, Fiji, 18–20 July, the forum was organized in collaboration with the National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) and attended by 22 participants from the public sector, NPOs, and SMEs of 13 APO member countries.

Knowledge Associates Cambridge Ltd. CEO and CKO Ron Young explaining the principles of KM for SMEs in the age of Industry 4.0 at the APO Top Management Forum on Knowledge Management and Innovation for SMEs in Fiji, 18 July 2018.

The forum demonstrated advanced applications of the APO KM Framework and innovations by SMEs in the era of Industry 4.0. Building on the 2010 Practical KM Guide for SME Owners, which showed how SMEs could overcome intrinsic challenges, the program also assisted participants in developing action plans for deploying KM in their organizations.

Innovation through effective KM is rapidly becoming the most important asset of virtually all organizations, especially SMEs. KM practices enable individuals and teams in SMEs to capture, store, share, and apply knowledge collectively and systematically to enhance productivity. Those practices can confer a competitive advantage through greater competency and synergy, more balanced decisions with fewer errors, increased creativity and innovation, broader collaboration, and knowledge sharing resulting in easier links to expertise and understanding.

Thanking the APO for allowing his country to host the forum, APO Alternative Director for Fiji and NTPC Head Dr. Isimeli Tagicakiverata noted in his inaugural address that the NTPC provided training and consultancy on KM and had undertaken numerous awareness programs for SMEs to generate interest in improving productivity and quality through better handling and retention of information and knowledge within companies and organizations.

The Top Management Forum was conducted by three APO international experts: Knowledge Associates Cambridge Ltd. CEO and CKO Ron Young from the UK; KDi Asia Pte. Ltd. Principal Consultant Praba Nair from Singapore; and Knowledge Associates Japan Co. Ltd. President and Representative Director Naoki Ogiwara from Japan.

Photo: NTPC