Browsing by Author "Mwasubila, Jofrey Amanyisye"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Knowledge management in communites of practice: the Backyard Mechanics “Gereji Bubu” of Dar es Salaam
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03) Mwasubila, Jofrey Amanyisye; Maasdorp, Christiaan Hendrik; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Information Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the city of Dar es Salaam and other parts of Tanzania, the streets, open spaces and roadsides are filled with many informal and un-registered automotive repair garages or backyard mechanics. These garages are popularly known as “gereji bubu” in Tanzania and they are enduring features of the automotive landscape of the country. One of the major risks to the longevity of such garages is the rapidly changing automotive technology. Whilst these garages typically operate on older car models, they are not immune to technological changes and these put pressure on their available diagnostic technology and repair knowledge and skill. The thesis investigated how these garages (and the backyard mechanics working in them) cope with the changes in car technology and highlights what they consider to be the risks associated with the changes in technology that could potentially make their garages obsolete. The research was done by interviewing garage owners and mechanics, as well as by desktop research of posts by clients and owners on an internet forum. It was found that these garages maintain and improve their collective knowledge through collaboration and knowledge sharing. Information is shared both within the garage and outside with their wider networks. This has is possible because community members trust each other, get mutual benefits, and get recognised for their contributions that lead to process and quality improvements in their services. Even though these garages bear little resemblance to large formal organisations, their mode of knowledge sharing can be considered an example of a Community of Practice that cooperates while they compete. The mode of knowledge transfer was mainly “storytelling” and “learning by doing” as the main knowledge management practices used by these garages for knowledge externalisation and internalisation respectively. However, the mechanics also used internet searches and their social network to find solutions to problems. Lastly, the interviews and forum posts show that there is a great concern over the future of these garages among community members. As modern cars are increasingly diagnosed by computers these garages find it difficult to purchase the necessary hardware, software and equipment in order to remain competitive.