Knowledge management in SMEs: a literature review

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to review research on knowledge management in small and medium‐sized enterprises to identify gaps in the current body of knowledge, which justify future research directions.Design/methodology/approachThe study consists of a systematic review of 36‐refereed empirical articles on knowledge management and small and medium‐sized enterprises.FindingsThe areas of knowledge management implementation, knowledge management perception, and knowledge transfer are relatively well researched topics; whereas those of knowledge identification, knowledge storage/retention and knowledge utilisation are poorly understood. Given the prevalence of small and medium‐sized enterprises there is a strong need for more research on this important topic. The future research directions proposed by the authors may help to develop a greater understanding of knowledge management in small and medium‐sized enterprises.Research limitations/implicationsBy only using the ProQuest database this study may not have allowed a complete coverage of all empirical articles in the field of knowledge management in small and medium‐sized enterprises. Yet, it is believed that the findings provide a valuable understanding of the current situation in this research field. The study proposes a number of future research directions, which may stimulate more intensive research in this important field.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, no systematic literature review on this topic has previously been published in academic journals.