The biggest obstacle was unfamiliar technology — so the staff chose the tool they already used daily, and each other

Thai government offices are required to run internal knowledge management. This study asked where the officers who actually have to do it get stuck, and — given the choice — how and where they would rather share what they know.

A postal survey of 111 officers responsible for health communication at the Department of Disease Control nationwide (41 men, 70 women), with a 100% response rate because senior management required regional managers to respond. Diabetes prevention communication was the reference topic. The 18-item questionnaire passed content-validity review by five specialists. Respondents could select more than one answer per question.

• The leading obstacle was unfamiliarity with new technology at 54.1% (60 people), followed by a tendency to share irrelevant material at 43.2% (48) and inconvenient collaboration at 40.5% (45).
• Unwillingness to disclose information reached 36.9% (41) and lack of motivation 32.4% (36), while 25.2% (28) named compulsory participation itself as a problem.
• Facebook was the most chosen platform at 53.2% (59 people), far ahead of web boards and email at 19.8% each, chat at 18.9%, videoconference at 18.9%, and Twitter at just 6.3%.
• The activities they wanted were face to face — meetings and study trips at 30.6% (34), lectures and workshops at 29.7% (33), and mentoring at 27.0% (30).
• The clearest preference of all was for mixed-experience groups with a mentor, at 55.9% (62 people), against 16.2% for groups of experienced communicators only and 6.3% for beginners only.

The staff's own answers cut against the common assumption that knowledge management starts with a new platform. When the top obstacle is unfamiliarity, adding another tool makes the problem worse. What they chose was the channel already in their daily lives plus people to guide them — technology second, relationships first.