Research on Exploring New Support Approaches: Focusing on the Expertise Sharing of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD)

Abstract

The Government of Japan has been supporting the PMD for more than 30 years primarily because the PMD plays a vital role in disaster management in Pakistan, a country prone to meteorological disasters. In more than 30 years of the author's experience in improving the meteorological service capability of meteorological organizations in developing countries through grant aid projects, many cases have been observed in which the staff do not wish to share the technology and skill they have acquired in order to avoid threats to their own position and rank in the organization. However, the exception to this situation is the PMD, and it is a special one. The PMD staff are fulfilling their responsibilities despite limited budgets and less ideal work environments and are contributing to the nation in an autonomous manner by improving their capability through sharing knowledge among the PMD members. This study aims to clarify and elaborate on the knowledge (expertise) sharing mechanisms of the PMD, focusing on the motivation of the PMD staff, with the ultimate goal of presenting more effective approaches for strengthening organizational capability. Therefore, an analytical framework of organizational science is applied to identify the mechanisms for sharing professional knowledge by the PMD staff, and by referring to the results, new approaches to support effective capability enhancement are discussed. As a conclusion, it is identified that among “Autonomy/Competence/Relatedness” that affects the intrinsic motivation, “Autonomy and Competence” most greatly influence the intrinsic motivation of the PMD staff. It is also clarified that intrinsic motivation is the main factor in promoting expertise retention and sharing.