The first Productivity Insights session, held online on 30 May 2024, highlighted the productivity initiatives of Thailand’s Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).
More than 100 participants from various organizations, including government agencies, local government units, and state universities, attended the session.
Kasamaporn Mahawangsawat, director of the Corporate Assessment Department at the BAAC, delivered a presentation providing an overview of the agricultural cooperative, which is dedicated to providing financial services to Thai farmers and is committed to sustainable rural development. With 1,019 branches and five million mobile app users, the BAAC is a pillar in Thailand’s agricultural landscape. Mahawangsawat also emphasized how knowledge management can drive productivity initiatives in the public sector.
The BAAC’s knowledge management framework, centered on the Community of Practice (CoP), drives knowledge exchange, skill development, and innovation within the organization. Mahawangsawat discussed BAAC’s structured approach to CoP, including knowledge identification, sharing of best practices, innovation capture, and efficient knowledge utilization. She showcased creative solutions like Non-Performing Loan (NPL) management systems and mobile applications, which have resulted in significant productivity gains, shortened processing times, and cost savings.
Additionally, she presented BAAC’s successful change management techniques, such as organizational reorganization, communication, and ongoing monitoring, which improved performance and efficiency as the organization transitioned from manual to automated processes.
The example of BAAC illustrated the significance of cooperation, creativity, and flexibility in handling the complexities of modern governance. Attendees gained a better understanding of the critical role that CoP plays in promoting organizational excellence in the public sector. They also obtained valuable insights from BAAC’s success story, which they can apply to their organizations.
Hosted by the Development Academy of the Philippines, the focal organization of the Asian Productivity Organization’s Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity, the Productivity Insights is a series of knowledge and experience-sharing sessions aimed at demonstrating how public sector organizations translate their learnings into productivity initiatives.
This article is originally posted on: https://dap.edu.ph/first-productivity-insights-session-showcases-productivity-initiatives-of-thailands-baac-through-knowledge-management/