FROM KNOWLEDGE AUDIT TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES OF AN EXTENSION OFFICE

Knowledge is a vital resource in an organization that affects the achievement of organizational goals. This reality explains the importance of identifying knowledge assets and addressing knowledge gaps to ensure that knowledge sharing activities are consistent and constant in an organization. An extension office is a knowledge sharing organization whose knowledge sharing activities are unique because it works for and with communities and institutions while aiming to achieve the vision-mission of the higher educational institution it belongs to. The knowledge sharing activities of the Lasallian Community Development Center (LCDC), the extension arm of De La Salle University-Dasmarinas (DLSU-D), were analysed and resulted in the identification of gaps that posted challenges in the achievement of its community development endeavours. The research is focused on two research environments: De La Salle University-Dasmarinas (DLSU-D) and Partner Non-Government Organizations (NGO s). There are two sets of participants in this study: faculty members of LCDC and partner NGO s from the academic year 1997-1998 to 2009-2010. Through a knowledge audit which used survey, focus group discussion, key-informant interview, and document analysis, the researcher was able to get quantitative and qualitative information in identifying the gaps. One of the notable results of the study is the creation of a framework that may be used by other higher educational institutions in helping extension offices analyze its own knowledge creation and sharing practices.