Why do we need good leadership and knowledge sharing?

Good leadership and effective knowledge management structures are crucial for an organisation’s success.  They foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. Strong leaders provide clear vision and direction, motivating employees to align their efforts with organizational goals. Meanwhile, robust knowledge management systems facilitate the capture, sharing, and application of knowledge, leading to valuable insights and expertise that are accessible to all.

Leadership and Knowledge Management work well together, as leaders need to support and help promote knowledge management within their organisation. Together, these elements enhance decision-making, improve efficiency, and drive organisational learning. Ultimately leading to increased adaptability in a rapidly changing environment.

How were IMA involved?

Having recognised some capacity building gaps through the Girls' Education and Women’s Empowerment and Livelihood Project (GEWEL) – Gender Division project, IMA International were approached to deliver a tailored 5-day Knowledge Management (KM) and Leadership and Management in Project Management training. Subsequently, 10 Senior Government Officials working in the Zambian government attended the training. These officials were from the Ministry of Community, Development and Social Services; Ministry of Education; Gender Division; and Ministry of Health.

The tailored course provided the group of senior government officials a foundation to plan and apply skills in effective leadership and management. Therefore, promoting and harnessing the knowledge of their teams to create a culture of learning.

Over the week, IMA's staff Chris Grose | IMA International and Olivia Nagle | IMA International facilitated the group, exploring leadership styles and creating an open environment to share ideas, experiences and knowledge. They looked at differences between leadership and management and developed a knowledge management plan specific to their organisations. The team engaged in a fruitful week of knowledge sharing, learning and fun, both in the training and on organised social events.

What were the main tools, techniques and outputs delivered?

Leadership and management training made up the first half of the week’s course. We covered globally recognised management and leadership theories, tools and techniques and developed the skills to adapt them to their specific needs, putting each one into practice. The training developed new and existing knowledge and skills on topics including influence, motivation and power analysis. This enabled the participants to leave the training course with a clear plan on how to apply what they had learnt - directly to their work.

Knowledge management was covered in the second half of the week. Culminating in developing targeted, organisation-specific, knowledge management plans. The participants learnt using a mix of participatory, practical activities, theory/case examples and by sharing their knowledge and experiences. The skills they developed will enable them to go back to their workplace more innovative, responsive and strategic.

What were the main outputs at the end of the 5-day training?

At the end of the training, participants were able to…

• enhance their team knowledge: equip all the team members with a solid understanding of globally recognised management and leadership theories, tools and techniques and adapt them to their needs
• exercise new knowledge and skills on topics including influence, motivation and power analysis
• gain insights into behaviour, motivations, communication and relationships, to make better decisions to deal with change and personnel more effectively
• develop a culture of learning that encourages learning from failure for future decision-making
• understand how to make knowledge accessible to everyone who needs it by building knowledge sharing into everyday operations
• use knowledge management to achieve and support strategic objectives
• present action plans to identify short, medium and long-term actions to embed positive behaviour change on return to the work environment

Following on from this training, mentoring is offered to all the participants. This will give them an opportunity to discuss how their knowledge management plans are developing and what leadership skills and techniques they have been able to implement. It will also enable them to reflect on their training and consider any quick wins and long-term gains.

IMA services

IMA International provides training through open courses, tailored training, training of trainers, as well as consultancy for organisational change, coaching and mentoring. This builds capacity in international development programmes and humanitarian action globally. We constantly draw on our over 40 years of experience working with the public and private sector, UN Agencies, NGOs, academia and many others. Our aim is to help organisations enhance their work, by supporting collaboration within organisations and with their stakeholders, to work more efficiently towards their vision.

Our core values are to be Innovative, Inclusive and to Inspire Change.  We pride ourselves in our engaging, creative, supportive, and participatory training approaches. We are well-experienced in designing and facilitating training sessions and workshops to support capacity building. Always ensuring engaging and participatory knowledge-sharing and learning is encouraged, to identify important themes and develop future learnings.

Future learning opportunities

If you are interested in attending a Leadership and Management in International Development training course yourself, we have an upcoming course in Bangkok, Thailand, starting on the 25th of November 2024.

If you are more interested in Knowledge Management, you can join our online training course, starting on the 2nd of December 2024.

For 2025 in Q4 we will be offering this combination course again in London. If you are interested in finding out more details or wish to find out how to apply for one of the 12 places please be in touch with us as soon as possible to put your name on the waitlist.

Irrespective of whether you are at the beginning, middle or end of your career, we know there is a challenge sharing tacit knowledge. Sharing this knowledge in a structured and effective way is key. This can be supported by attending an IMA short course covering KM or perhaps a tailored one that suits your group of colleagues working together - getting momentum behind learning is key and supports behaviour change back in the workplace.