Organizational Culture and Knowledge Management

Abstract

As organizations in Singpore respond to the pressures of globalization, the adoption of knowledge management practices becomes more prevalent. In a hurry to implement this new business paradigm, organizations may have overlooked the influence of the cultural context which is commonly considered one of the pillars of knowledge management in a western-oriented organization. This paper examines what was overlooked by Singapore organizations while moving towards knowledge management. Specifically, it studies the impact of organizational culture on knowledge management processes. A review of literature shows that there is a relationship between cultural factors and knowledge management processes. This relationship is reflected in a research model that helps to answer research questions and to formulate hypotheses for testing. The result indicates that knowledge management should consider not just the technological aspects of implementation but also the cultural, leadership and contextual aspects of an organization.