scholarly journals Knowledge management in knowledge-intensive organisations: Understanding its benefits, processes, infrastructure and barriers

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred H. Mazorodze ◽  
Sheryl Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Knowledge Flow ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Organisational Structure ◽  
Organisational Performance ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Background: Knowledge management aims to improve organisational performance and it marks the beginning of organisational transformation. Most knowledge-intensive organisations engage and practise knowledge management without a full understanding of its benefits. A knowledge-intensive organisation is an organisation whose services and operations are heavily reliant on professional knowledge. The study, therefore, provides a solid understanding of knowledge management benefits, processes, infrastructure and barriers in knowledge-intensive organisations.Objectives: To understand knowledge management, its benefits, processes, infrastructure and barriers in knowledge-intensive organisations. The research objectives extend our understanding of knowledge management in organisations, identify and describe knowledge management benefits. Identification of the most important knowledge management process and associated infrastructure are among other objectives.Method: A survey was used to solve the problem. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from 112 participants from knowledge-intensive firms in Namibia. The quantitative data were analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013 spreadsheet package.Results: The study has revealed that the prime benefit of knowledge management in knowledge-intensive organisations is to allow improved knowledge flow, thereby enhancing the capability of the organisation to manage change with more than 50% representation of the participants. In addition to that, the study also found that knowledge sharing is the most important knowledge management process, among other processes such as knowledge creation, knowledge capture and knowledge reuse. All the participants (100%) concurred that a flat organisational structure supports knowledge sharing. The research findings have further discovered that the biggest barrier to effective knowledge management is the lack of budget to support knowledge management efforts. This was represented by 67.9% of the participants. Lack of executive support and lack of time were also among the great barriers with 57.1% and 52.7%, respectively.Conclusion: Knowledge management allows improved knowledge flow in knowledge-intensive organisations. We can, therefore, conclude that the participants believed that knowledge sharing is more important than creation, capturing, transferring and reuse. It is, therefore, important to underscore that knowledge sharing should be taken as a priority if organisations are to remain competitive. Research results have also revealed that a flat organisational structure is the best for knowledge sharing. For improved organisational performance, knowledge management barriers must be removed with the assistance of management.

Knowledge Management and Software Development Organization

2017 ◽  
pp. 226-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcello Chedid ◽  
Leonor Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Software Development Process ◽  
Development Organization ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Software development organization (SDO) is a kind of knowledge-intensive business and their large majority is small and medium enterprise (SME) facing similar challenges of large ones. The diversity and complexity of the SDO environment makes knowledge the fundamental element in the software development process, which strengthens the importance of an effective knowledge management process. The software development process involves multidisciplinary teams, and the various working meetings that occur during a project are conducive to generate and share a lot of knowledge, in particular tacit knowledge. The use of a knowledge management process that enables to manage tacit knowledge will define the difference between a good SDO performance and the best SDO performance. This chapter aims to present an exploratory study based on literature review, with the aim of identifying the main challenge of knowledge management in the SDO context. The authors also aim to address some new research directions.

The Influence of Collaborative Web on Knowledge Management, Organizational Structure and Culture in Knowledge-Intensive Companies

2011 ◽  
pp. 184-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Kirchner ◽  
Mladen Cudanov
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Management Change ◽  
Community Orientation ◽  
Web Tools ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Knowledge-intensive companies are quickly changing, involving many people working in different activities. Knowledge in such companies is diverse and its proportions immense and steadily growing. The distribution of knowledge across project teams, communities of practice, and individuals is therefore an important factor. With collaborative Web, tools like wikis, blogs, or social networks are used for collaboration and knowledge sharing. In this chapter, we question what influence these tools have on knowledge management, organizational structure, and culture of knowledge-intensive companies. As a result of our interviews and surveys done in Serbia, we found that with collaborative Web, organizational structure, culture, and knowledge management change is perceived among employees and that employee’s loyalty changes from company orientation toward virtual community orientation.

A Knowledge Management Process in Communities of Practice of Engineering Based on the SECI Model for Knowledge

2012 ◽  
pp. 134-149
Author(s):  
Akila Sarirete ◽  
Azeddine Chikh
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Management Process ◽  
High Importance ◽  
Web Technologies ◽  
Seci Model

With the vast movement toward promoting and developing models, practices, and technological environments in the engineering domain, a need exists to facilitate communication, collaboration, and coordination among its actors. Communities of Practice (CoPs) represent the natural and logical solution to answer these needs. In this paper, the authors propose a knowledge management process to exploit tacit and explicit knowledge in the engineering domain within the framework of a CoP of engineering. The approach used in this work introduces new elements in the Nonaka’s SECI model for knowledge creation. To validate the proposed process, a qualitative case study has been conducted on two CoPs, “CPsquare” and “The Cisco Learning Network”. It has been shown that CoPs and social learning impact learning as well as knowledge sharing. The use of web technologies and socio-technical approach in the management of knowledge is of high importance.

Measuring Organizational Readiness for Knowledge Management

2011 ◽  
pp. 341-356
Author(s):  
W. A. Taylor ◽  
M. A. Schellenberg
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Organizational Readiness ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Knowledge Management Strategy ◽  
Strategic Direction ◽  
Local Levels

While organizations continue to grapple with the implementation of knowledge management, there remains a need for empirical research into the practical difficulties they encounter. In this chapter, we investigate the challenges faced by one multinational telecommunications company in a post-merger environment. We develop an instrument to evaluate the knowledge-sharing culture and information infrastructure and, by using qualitative and quantitative data from a survey of five European sites, we illustrate how managers can measure gaps between the effectiveness of current practices and their importance, and decide whether to direct resources toward changing employee attitudes, organizational practices, or knowledge-management infrastructure. More significantly, we highlight the need for senior managers to be in agreement about the strategic direction of their business and the strategic alignment between business strategy and knowledge-management strategy. Without such consensus, knowledge management is likely to remain, at best, a series of fragmented and unrelated initiatives at local levels.

The impact of organisational culture, organisational structure and technological infrastructure on process improvement through knowledge sharing

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1443-1472
Author(s):  
Sergio J. Chión ◽  
Vincent Charles ◽  
José Morales
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Textile Industry ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Organisational Structure ◽  
Technology Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Managers ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediator role that knowledge sharing plays between organisational culture, organisational structure, and technology infrastructure and process improvement in a knowledge management context in manufacturing enterprises operating in the food, beverage and textile industry. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study is conducted with a sample of 200 food, beverage and textile companies. Data are obtained by means of a survey questionnaire applied to general managers in each of the sample firms. The impact of the factors organisational culture, organisational structure and technology infrastructure on process improvement via knowledge sharing is assessed. Structural equation modelling and maximum likelihood estimation are applied to find the direction and strength of the relationships. Findings The main findings indicate the significant relationships between knowledge sharing and process improvement, between organisational culture and knowledge sharing, and between organisational structure and knowledge sharing. The relationship between technology infrastructure and knowledge sharing is found not to be significant. Research limitations/implications The findings of the present study are limited to the food, beverage and textile industry. Future research could incorporate data from other manufacturing sectors or service companies. Practical implications This study provides practical guidance for general managers who wish to implement process improvement programmes. Originality/value Several authors have noted that there are few research studies concerning the interaction between each phase of knowledge management and total quality management practices. This study is interested in knowledge sharing and its impact on process improvement in a knowledge management context.

Knowledge Sharing in Consulting Companies: Opportunities and Limitations of Knowledge Codification

2005 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. 201-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snejina Michailova ◽  
Akshey Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Codification ◽  
Knowledge Requirements ◽  
The Common ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Organisational Level

This paper is a study of the knowledge-sharing difficulties experienced by three departments in a knowledge-intensive firm. The case organisation is a global consulting firm that has been on the forefront of knowledge management and has won several knowledge management related international acclaims. Our analysis shows that there are strong disincentives in place for departments to share knowledge. We found that the nature of the businesses of the departments was very different and so were their knowledge requirements and their preferred ways to seek knowledge. Additionally, confidentiality agreements with clients and lack of cross-departmental interaction inhibited knowledge sharing outside departmental boundaries. Contrary to the common belief in the organisation, we found that one single IT system could not satisfy the context-specific knowledge-sharing needs of the different departments. We suggest that some very recent breakthrough technologies could be applied to facilitate cross-departmental knowledge sharing provided they are implemented at the strategic organisational level.

scholarly journals Knowledge-Sharing Dilemmas

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Cabrera ◽  
Elizabeth F. Cabrera
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Public Good ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Telecommunication Technology ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Vital Component

The exchange of information among organizational employees is a vital component of the knowledge-management process. Modem information and telecommunication technology is available to support such exchanges across time and distance barriers. However, organizations investing in this type of technology often face difficulties in encouraging their employees to use the system to share their ideas. This paper elaborates on previous research, suggesting that sharing personal insights with one's co-workers may carry a cost for some individuals which may yield, at the aggregate level, a co-operation dilemma, similar to a public-good dilemma. A review of the research on different types of public-good dilemmas provides some indications of the specific interventions that may help organizations encourage the kind of social dynamics that will increase overall knowledge sharing. These interventions can be classified into three categories: interventions aimed at restructuring the pay-offs for contributing, those that try to increase efficacy perceptions, and those that make employees' sense of group identity and personal responsibility more salient.

Organizational learning through transformational leadership

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kashif Imran ◽  
Muhammad Ilyas ◽  
Usman Aslam ◽  
Ubaid-Ur-Rahman Ubaid-Ur-Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Process Capability ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Intensive Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The transformation of firms from resource-based-view to knowledge-based-view has extended the importance of organizational learning. Thus, this study aims to develop an organizational learning model through transformational leadership with indirect effect of knowledge management process capability and interactive role of knowledge-intensive culture. Design/methodology/approach Different statistical analyses were done to check the direct, indirect and interactive effects on 204 valid responses. Findings The results are clearly depicting that transformational leadership has significant positive impact on organizational learning and knowledge management process capability, and partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational learning. Additionally, knowledge-intensive culture has strengthened the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge management process capability. Originality/value This is an overarching and unique conceptual model. After examining the importance of organizational learning in the context of innovative ability, competitive advantage, creativity and organizational performance, management has to initiate steps to induct transformational leaders, develop knowledge-intensive culture and introduce knowledge management processes to boost learning environment in organizations.

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