Factors Affecting Personal Knowledge Management Effectiveness: A Case Study of Automotive Sales Officers in Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta

Abstract

Abstract. Shifting the economy toward a knowledge-based one that requires skilled workers encourages the implementation of personal knowledge management. The automotive industry is closely related to knowledge-based activities and its technological developments require skilled employees. This study aimed to identify factors that can increase the effectiveness of personal knowledge management among sales officers in automotive companies. A survey was distributed to 115 employees at automotive dealers that implemented knowledge management at the head office level but not at their branch offices or dealerships. The studied effectiveness factors included trust, extrinsic rewards, technology application, knowledge sharing, and learning behavior. The collected data passed validity tests, reliability tests, model tests, and hypothesis testing. Thus, data triangulation was conducted via semi-structured interviews. This study found that trust affects knowledge sharing. Moreover, it was found that extrinsic rewards do not affect knowledge sharing and that the application of technology affects learning behavior. Notably, both knowledge sharing and learning behavior were found to affect personal knowledge management effectiveness. Another impactful factor was leadership. Intrinsic rewards make sales officers feel happier and more rewarded for sharing knowledge than financial benefits. Leadership is an aspect that must be considered since good leaders can encourage and create a positive learning environment. Keywords: Extrinsic rewards, knowledge sharing, learning behavior, personal knowledge management, technology use, trust