Knowledge mapping through SWOT analysis: a study in a public health organization

Abstract

The research consists in mapping the internal and external knowledge in a Basic Health Unit, which can be potentially strategic not only for managers' decision making, but also for the daily work practices of employees. The research contributes to the fields of Administration and Information Science, which study Knowledge Management, especially for Public Administration, encouraging the use of techniques that come from private organizations in the public sector, specifically the SWOT Matrix. Moreover, the research indirectly favors the user population of the services offered by the Basic Health Unit, since the aim of the work is to improve the processes involving the knowledge present in the Unit. For that, a field research of a qualitative and quantitative nature was carried out. The result showed that the unit surveyed present many more weaknesses and threats than strengths and opportunities, which may harm the quality of the services offered to the population.