Organisational Culture and Knowledge Management Training Course

Duration 10 days 19 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Knowledge Management Managers, Records and Information Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-KRM-040

Before you join: Participants should have experience working in a team, department or programme where information, records, procedures or specialist expertise are managed.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Organisational culture determines whether people share what they know, preserve evidence of decisions, report errors, and use approved information sources. Knowledge and records management programmes often fail because they are treated as repositories, retention schedules or technology projects rather than changes to everyday behaviour. Leaders need practical ways to identify cultural barriers, define knowledge-critical work, establish accountable governance, and create routines that protect organisational memory.

This course examines the relationship between culture, knowledge flow, learning, information governance and records controls. Participants use Schein’s culture model, the SECI knowledge-creation model, Cynefin, ISO 30401 and ISO 15489 to assess current conditions and design targeted improvements. They learn to map critical knowledge, identify single points of failure, distinguish records from working information, establish retention and disposal controls, and measure whether knowledge practices improve operational performance.

Instruction combines short technical briefings with realistic cases from public agencies, banks, regulated industries, NGOs and large corporate functions. Participants work with culture diagnostics, knowledge maps, records classifications, governance models and implementation plans. Throughout the course, they develop a practical organisational culture and knowledge management improvement plan based on a real or representative business area, including priorities, roles, controls, measures and implementation actions.

The course suits managers and specialists responsible for organisational learning, information governance, records, risk, change, digital transformation, operations or business continuity. It is particularly valuable where experienced staff are leaving, information is duplicated across systems, decision records are difficult to locate, or teams hesitate to share lessons and concerns.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose organisational culture using Schein’s three-level model and cultural evidence
  • Map critical knowledge assets, holders, flows and single points of failure
  • Design knowledge-sharing practices using the SECI knowledge-creation model
  • Apply Cynefin to distinguish knowledge approaches for simple, complicated, complex and chaotic work
  • Develop records classification, retention and disposal controls aligned with ISO 15489
  • Establish knowledge and records governance roles, decision rights and accountability mechanisms
  • Measure knowledge management performance using practical adoption, quality and risk indicators
  • Produce an organisational culture and knowledge management improvement plan

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Diagnose why knowledge-sharing initiatives succeed or stall in specific teams
  • Build credible cases for records, learning and knowledge management investment
  • Use recognised standards when discussing information governance with auditors and leaders
  • Create practical controls for retaining expertise before staff departures or restructures
  • Lead culture-focused improvement discussions with managers, specialists and frontline staff

For your organisation

  • Reduced loss of critical expertise during turnover, retirement and organisational change
  • Clearer retention, disposal and retrieval controls for high-value organisational records
  • Faster access to validated procedures, lessons learned and decision evidence
  • Stronger accountability for knowledge assets, records ownership and information risks
  • Improved learning from incidents, projects, audits and service delivery failures

Course modules

19 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain how culture influences knowledge sharing, recordkeeping and organisational memory.

  • Culture as shared assumptions, norms, symbols, routines and decision rules
  • Schein’s three levels used to diagnose visible and hidden culture
  • Cultural signals embedded in meetings, rewards, stories and escalation paths
  • Subcultures mapped by function, profession, geography and organisational tenure
  • Psychological safety assessed through speaking-up, error reporting and challenge
  • Culture-risk links identified for knowledge loss, concealment and records misuse

Participants can define knowledge management scope, value and boundaries for a business area.

  • Data, information, knowledge and wisdom distinguished through workplace examples
  • Tacit and explicit knowledge compared using operational decision scenarios
  • Knowledge assets classified as human, structural, relational and digital
  • Knowledge management value propositions linked to performance, risk and continuity
  • Communities of practice differentiated from project teams and functional groups
  • Knowledge management lifecycle from creation through validation, reuse and retirement

Participants can define a knowledge management purpose aligned with business priorities.

  • Strategic objectives translated into knowledge requirements and priority use cases
  • Critical knowledge identified within revenue, service, risk and regulatory processes
  • Knowledge strategy scope defined through users, decisions, risks and outcomes
  • APQC Process Classification Framework used to locate knowledge-intensive processes
  • Business cases structured around cost, delay, quality and continuity impacts
  • Strategic assumptions tested against leadership priorities and resource constraints

Participants can conduct a structured diagnosis of cultural barriers to knowledge sharing.

  • Culture diagnostic questions framed around trust, incentives, authority and learning
  • Interviews and focus groups planned using consistent evidence categories
  • Observation of meetings reveals informal knowledge-sharing and withholding behaviours
  • OCAI dimensions interpreted for clan, adhocracy, market and hierarchy preferences
  • Reward systems reviewed for individual competition and knowledge-sharing consequences
  • Diagnostic findings converted into cultural strengths, gaps and intervention priorities

Participants can map knowledge dependencies and prioritise knowledge-loss risks.

  • Knowledge maps identify critical tasks, sources, users and knowledge repositories
  • Expertise locator design captures capability, experience, availability and validation
  • Single points of failure assessed through role, process and succession analysis
  • Knowledge risk register records loss likelihood, impact, controls and owners
  • Social network analysis reveals informal advisers, brokers and isolated specialists
  • Priority knowledge domains selected using operational criticality and replacement difficulty

Participants can design learning practices that convert experience into reusable knowledge.

  • SECI model connects socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation activities
  • After-action reviews capture expectations, results, causes and transferable lessons
  • Lessons learned formats distinguish observations, recommendations, owners and due dates
  • Peer assists obtain experience before high-risk decisions and complex assignments
  • Retrospectives structured around evidence, improvement actions and follow-through checks
  • Validated learning assets assigned review dates, authors and accountable custodians

Participants can select knowledge-sharing practices suited to different work patterns.

  • Communities of practice chartered around domain, membership, purpose and sponsorship
  • Knowledge cafés structured for cross-functional exchange and issue exploration
  • Peer review routines improve procedure quality, consistency and practitioner confidence
  • Mentoring and coaching plans transfer judgement, context and professional standards
  • Knowledge-sharing rituals embedded within project gates, handovers and operational reviews
  • Facilitation roles defined for sponsors, conveners, subject experts and participants

Participants can select knowledge approaches appropriate to uncertainty and complexity.

  • Cynefin distinguishes clear, complicated, complex, chaotic and disorder contexts
  • Clear work supported through standard operating procedures and controlled records
  • Complicated decisions require expert analysis, peer review and documented rationale
  • Complex situations use safe-to-fail probes, sensing and adaptive learning
  • Chaotic incidents prioritise action, stabilisation, communication and rapid evidence capture
  • Decision logs preserve assumptions, alternatives, authorities and review triggers

Participants can apply core records management principles to operational information.

  • Records defined by evidence, business context, reliability, integrity and usability
  • ISO 15489 principles applied to creation, capture, management and disposal
  • Recordkeeping requirements derived from business, legal, regulatory and accountability needs
  • Working documents distinguished from final records and authoritative source copies
  • Metadata supports retrieval, context, access control, retention and disposal decisions
  • Authenticity and integrity protected through controlled capture and audit trails

Participants can develop practical classification and retention controls for records.

  • Business classification schemes organised around functions, activities and transactions
  • File plans assign consistent titles, identifiers, access rules and owners
  • Retention schedules link record classes to triggers, periods and disposal actions
  • Disposition authorities document approval for destruction, transfer or permanent preservation
  • Legal holds suspend normal disposal when investigations or disputes arise
  • Sensitive records identified through personal data, confidentiality and security requirements

Participants can set controls for digital information across collaboration and business systems.

  • Information inventories identify systems, repositories, owners, content and risk ratings
  • Authoritative source principles reduce duplicate files and conflicting versions
  • Version control rules define drafting, approval, publication and supersession practices
  • Collaboration platforms assessed for retention, access, export and audit capabilities
  • Email, chat and shared-drive records captured using documented decision criteria
  • Access controls aligned with role, sensitivity, need-to-know and segregation duties

Participants can specify content controls that make knowledge repositories useful and trusted.

  • Knowledge article templates standardise purpose, steps, exceptions, sources and ownership
  • Taxonomies improve browsing, search filters, related content and reporting
  • Controlled vocabularies reduce ambiguity across product, service and risk terminology
  • Content lifecycle rules cover drafting, approval, review, archival and retirement
  • KCS practices connect incident resolution with article creation and reuse
  • Search analytics identify failed queries, duplicate content and high-demand knowledge

Participants can establish governance arrangements for knowledge and records management.

  • Governance model defines purpose, scope, authority, escalation and reporting arrangements
  • RACI matrices allocate accountable owners, custodians, contributors and approvers
  • Knowledge stewards maintain quality, relevance, metadata and review schedules
  • Records officers monitor classification, retention, disposal and compliance exceptions
  • Steering committees prioritise investment, resolve conflicts and review performance
  • Policy architecture connects principles, policies, standards, procedures and guidance

Participants can identify and treat knowledge and records risks using defined controls.

  • Information risk assessments evaluate confidentiality, integrity, availability and accountability
  • ISO 27001 control objectives linked to information assets and identified threats
  • Privacy impact assessment triggers identified for personal data processing changes
  • Knowledge loss scenarios cover resignation, outsourcing, incidents and system migration
  • Control design combines preventive, detective, corrective and recovery measures
  • Risk treatment plans assign actions, deadlines, evidence and accountable owners

Participants can plan adoption activities that change knowledge and records behaviours.

  • Stakeholder analysis identifies influence, concerns, readiness and participation requirements
  • ADKAR model structures awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement actions
  • Behavioural barriers addressed through incentives, workload, trust and managerial example
  • Communication plans specify audiences, messages, channels, timing and feedback routes
  • Pilot selection balances business value, leadership support and manageable complexity
  • Adoption measures track participation, contribution, reuse and compliance behaviours

Participants can define measures and assurance methods for knowledge and records performance.

  • Balanced scorecard measures connect knowledge activities with strategic outcomes
  • Leading indicators track content reviews, participation, training and control completion
  • Lagging indicators measure search time, rework, incidents and audit findings
  • Maturity models assess governance, culture, process, technology and measurement
  • Audit trails provide evidence of approvals, access, changes and disposition
  • Management reports combine operational metrics, risks, decisions and improvement actions

Participants can plan knowledge retention for workforce changes and critical departures.

  • Knowledge retention triggers include retirement, turnover, restructuring and supplier exit
  • Departure risk assessments prioritise roles with scarce expertise and high impact
  • Structured handovers capture contacts, decisions, routines, exceptions and unresolved issues
  • Knowledge transfer plans combine shadowing, interviews, documentation and supervised practice
  • Succession readiness assessed through capability evidence, exposure and performance standards
  • Exit interviews capture improvement insights without replacing formal records controls

Participants can prepare a phased implementation roadmap for a knowledge and records programme.

  • Current-state assessment consolidates culture, knowledge, records, systems and risk findings
  • Target operating model defines services, processes, roles, technologies and controls
  • Initiatives sequenced by value, dependency, readiness, risk and resource availability
  • Roadmaps assign milestones, deliverables, decision gates and governance reviews
  • Resource estimates cover specialist roles, business time, training and technology costs
  • Benefits realisation plans specify baselines, targets, owners and reporting cadence

Participants can build, review and present a complete organisational culture and knowledge management improvement plan.

  • Business problem statement defines affected processes, users, risks and desired outcomes
  • Culture diagnosis synthesises evidence, barriers, strengths and behavioural priorities
  • Knowledge map identifies critical expertise, repositories, gaps and ownership
  • Records controls specify classification, retention, access, disposal and assurance requirements
  • Governance model assigns decision rights, RACI roles, reporting and escalation
  • Implementation roadmap presents initiatives, milestones, measures, resources and dependencies

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Organisational culture diagnostic template
  2. Critical knowledge map and risk register
  3. Knowledge-sharing practices design toolkit
  4. Records classification and retention schedule template
  5. Knowledge and records governance RACI matrix
  6. Culture and knowledge management improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Knowledge Management Managers — need to improve knowledge flow and adoption
  • Records and Information Managers — need culture-aware records governance and retention controls
  • Learning and Development Managers — need to embed learning practices into daily work
  • Change Managers — need to address behavioural barriers during transformation programmes
  • Risk and Compliance Managers — need evidence, accountability and information risk controls
  • Operational Leaders — need to retain critical expertise and improve team learning

Skills and tools covered

Culture diagnosisKnowledge mappingRecords governanceKnowledge-sharing designInformation risk controlImplementation planning

Tools and standards

ISO 30401 Knowledge Management Systems, ISO 15489 Records Management, Cynefin Framework, ADKAR Model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings, facilitated discussion, case analysis, group work, simulations and structured application planning. Participants assess cultural evidence, map knowledge dependencies, classify records, test governance decisions and interpret realistic risk scenarios. Cases reflect regulated operations, public services, financial institutions, project environments and distributed teams. Trainers provide templates and feedback as participants build an improvement plan linked to a chosen business area. Live online delivery uses facilitated breakout groups and shared working documents.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience working in a team, department or programme where information, records, procedures or specialist expertise are managed. Familiarity with basic organisational structures, business processes and common workplace collaboration tools is useful. Participants should be able to discuss a current knowledge-sharing, records, continuity or culture issue from their workplace. No prior qualification in knowledge management, archives, information science, organisational psychology or ISO standards is required. Technical system administration, data analytics and legal training are not assumed.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need workplace experience and familiarity with how their team stores, shares or uses information. Prior study in records management, organisational psychology or ISO standards is not required.

Participants should bring a current workplace issue involving knowledge loss, duplicated information, poor record retrieval, staff turnover or inconsistent procedures. They may use this issue as the basis for their course deliverables.

The course is designed for knowledge managers, records specialists, change managers, operational leaders, risk professionals and learning managers. It also suits programme managers responsible for improving information practices across teams.

Records management courses usually focus on classification, retention, disposal and compliance controls. This course includes those controls while examining the culture, leadership behaviours and knowledge-sharing practices that determine whether controls are used.

Participants leave with a culture diagnostic, knowledge map, governance model and implementation roadmap that can be adapted for their department. The methods can support a specific service, programme, project portfolio or high-risk business process.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first part of the course builds diagnosis, mapping and records controls; the later part develops governance, measurement, change planning and the capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

More courses in Knowledge & Records Management

Knowledge & Records Management Knowledge Audit and Gap Analysis Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Knowledge & Records Management Knowledge Management Systems Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Knowledge & Records Management Knowledge Management in the Public Sector Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Knowledge & Records Management Office Management and Electronic Archiving Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Knowledge & Records Management Records Digitization and File Management Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Knowledge & Records Management Records Management Compliance Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Knowledge & Records Management Records Management and Retention Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Knowledge & Records Management Records Management and Retrieval Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov