Knowledge Management (KM) is an essential element in the operations of Land Bank of the Philippines which is a service universal bank with a unique social mandate. It has a dual role as a catalyst of progress in the countryside while sustaining commercial viability to support its social mission. It is the only universal bank in the Philippines present in all 81 provinces with a network of 352 branches, 1,404 ATMs and 38 Lending Centers.
LANDBANK has more than 8,000 employees all over the country, knowledge management is used to increase employee effectiveness and efficiency. It has a LANDBANK portal that allows employees access to databases, manuals, bank policies and procedures, latest circulars, copies of the newsletters and relevant newspaper clippings among others. It also has a Human Resource Information System that supports personnel administration. Employees are regularly sent to seminars and trainings locally and abroad. Tacit knowledge is shared through brainstorming sessions and workshops.
To remain relevant in responding to the needs of its priority sectors, the small farmers and fishers, farmers and SMEs, the bank compiles and shares to clients and employees a compilation of business modules stored in CDs. It is a compilation of best practices for specific commodity such as cacao, banana, seaweeds, poultry among others. The commodity modules contain industry updates, technical requirements, financial assumptions and projections, industry prospects including insights and issues. The compilation of business modules intend to increase the success of the client in his business and to guide loan officers all over the country in packaging the appropriate credit facility for the client. This is further supplemented with industry updates, seminars and trainings.
Continuous trainings of employees on how to access information from the LBP portal will further improve the employees proficiency in the use of the on line system.
Knowledge sharing is indeed empowerment. It increases awareness and improves the ability of other people to use the knowledge for self improvement.
Vivian Manuel Canonero 