Pitfalls in effective knowledge management: insights from an international information technology organisation

Pitfalls in effective knowledge management: insights from an international information technology organisation

Recently, the importance of the information technology (IT) for effective knowledge management (KM) activities has been noted. The match of IT and KM is an important concern for executives. However, their efforts do not always yield positive organizational outcome since enough exceptions indicate that knowledge management strategy and human resource management (HRM) strategy are interdependent that must be integrated with IT as a whole. Consequently, a linkage of effective IT strategy and KM strategy that are consistent with HRM strategy is the key to reduced costs, which in turn, will achieve a higher performance. Drawing on the concept of strategic alignment, this study proposes a KM strategic alignment model within which KM strategy, IT strategy, and HRM strategy, coexist. Survey research method is employed in this study. Empirical data for hypotheses testing are collected from top-ranking companies in Taiwan, yielding 161 valid samples. Performance implications of strategic alignment are examined using covariation and profile deviation approaches. The results suggest that strategic alignment among these three strategies contributes to business performance. Based on the research results, meaningful findings and conclusions are described and suggestions for future research are proposed.

The study was conducted to investigate the levels of implementation of knowledge management and outcomes of nursing performance, to examine the relationships between core knowledge management factors and nursing performance outcomes and to identify core knowledge management factors affecting these outcomes. Effective knowledge management is very important to achieve strong organisational performance. The success or failure of knowledge management depends on how effectively an organisation's members share and use their knowledge. Because knowledge management plays a key role in enhancing nursing performance, identifying the core factors and investigating the level of knowledge management in a given hospital are priorities to ensure a high quality of nursing for patients. The study employed a descriptive research procedure. The study sample consisted of 192 nurses registered in three large healthcare organisations in South Korea. The variables demographic characteristics, implementation of core knowledge management factors and outcomes of nursing performance were examined and analysed in this study. The relationships between the core knowledge management factors and outcomes of nursing performance as well as the factors affecting the performance outcomes were investigated. A knowledge-sharing culture and organisational learning were found to be core factors affecting nursing performance. The study results provide basic data that can be used to formulate effective knowledge management strategies for enhancing nursing performance in hospital nursing organisations. In particular, prioritising the adoption of a knowledge-sharing culture and organisational learning in knowledge management systems might be one method for organisations to more effectively manage their knowledge resources and thus to enhance the outcomes of nursing performance and achieve greater business competitiveness. The study results can contribute to the development of effective and efficient knowledge management systems and strategies for enhancing knowledge-sharing culture and organisational learning that can improve both the productivity and competitiveness of healthcare organisations.

This research explores perceptions of knowledge management processes held by managers and employees in a service industry. To date, empirical research on knowledge management in the service industry is sparse. This research seeks to examine absorptive capacity and its four capabilities of acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation and their impact on effective knowledge management. All of these capabilities are strategies that enable external knowledge to be recognized, imported and integrated into, and further developed within the organization effectively. The research tests the relationships between absorptive capacity and effective knowledge management through analysis of quantitative data (n = 549) drawn from managers and employees in 35 residential aged care organizations in Western Australia. Responses were analysed using Partial Least Square-based Structural Equation Modelling. Additional analysis was conducted to assess if the job role (of manager or employee) and three industry context variables of profit motive, size of business and length of time the organization has been in business, impacted on the hypothesized relationships. Structural model analysis examines the relationships between variables as hypothesized in the research framework. Analysis found that absorptive capacity and the four capabilities correlated significantly with effective knowledge management, with absorptive capacity explaining 56% of the total variability for effective knowledge management. Findings from this research also show that absorptive capacity and the four capabilities provide a useful framework for examining knowledge management in the service industry. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the perceptions held between managers and employees, nor between respondents in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Furthermore, the size of the organization and length of time the organization has been in business did not impact on absorptive capacity, the four capabilities and effective knowledge management. The research considers implications for business in light of these findings. The role of managers in providing leadership across the knowledge management process was confirmed, as well as the importance of guiding routines and knowledge sharing throughout the organization. Further, the results indicate that within the participating organizations there are discernible differences in the way that some organizations manage their knowledge, compared to others. To achieve effective knowledge management, managers need to provide a supportive workplace culture, facilitate strong employee relationships, encourage employees to seek out new knowledge, continually engage in two-way communication with employees and provide up-to-date policies and procedures that guide employees in doing their work. The implementation of knowledge management strategies has also been shown in this research to enhance the delivery and quality of residential aged care.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between effective knowledge management and corporate performance, to explore the dynamic symbiosis phenomenon of effective knowledge management based on organizational ecology with multinational companies (MNCs) and non-multinational companies (non-MNCs) and to explore the symbiosis strategy of knowledge management between multinational and non-multinational companies (non-MNCs) in China.Design/methodology/approachTo measure effective knowledge management, this paper first uses structural equation model to measure knowledge management, based on the evolution dynamics equation in organizational ecology to measure the effectiveness of knowledge management, and studies the symbiosis of effective knowledge management between MNCs and non-MNCs based on ecological perspective.FindingsEffective knowledge management can promote the financial performance of enterprises, but different degrees of effectiveness have different effects. In addition, the coupling and collaboration between knowledge management and corporate performance can reflect the value of effective knowledge management. The results show that effective knowledge management plays a positive moderating effect between knowledge management and corporate performance. Finally, the effective knowledge management system of MNCs (non-MNCs) has negative effect on non-MNCs (MNCs), showing the exclusive relationship between MNCs and non-MNCs in China.Research limitations/implicationsThe effectiveness of knowledge management is only based on the measurement of financial performance coupling. For other types of performance, it needs to be tested. The samples may not cover symbiosis relationship of effective knowledge management in other countries.Practical implicationsThis paper provides practical and theoretical reference for confirming the symbiotic interaction and identifying the opportunities and challenges of knowledge management among different types of corporation groups.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the pioneering studies to explore the pattern of symbiotic evolution of effective knowledge management between MNCs and non-MNCs. From completely new perspectives, this study advances the research of knowledge management to a new and promising area.

The escalating frequency and intensity of natural disasters exacerbated by conflict and global challenges are increasing the need for humanitarian aid and having a dramatic impact on human and economic costs. In 2010 alone, 263 million people were devastated by natural disasters with experts predicting this number potentially increasing to 375 million people by 2015. Although there are 600,000 active aid workers worldwide, there are critical gaps in the industry's capacity to conduct research, effective knowledge management, and standardized training and accreditation. Using a holistic, inter-disciplinary, human centered design methodology the Qatar Shelter Initiative (QSI) focused on uncovering the systemic challenges that reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of disaster relief, especially related to shelter. Through field site visits to Haiti and Indonesia, literature reviews, surveys, focus groups and individual interviews, key bottlenecks were identified including lack of research that bridges the gap between emergency shelter and permanent shelter, the treatment of shelter needs as a technical issue only, technical experts and volunteers that are not familiar with disasters, no standardization of formal training for humanitarian aid professionals, no regulatory body to determine who or what organization is qualified to execute shelter programs, lack of retention and disseminated institutional knowledge within the disaster response sector, and organizations that do have shelter as a core competency but conduct shelter because of the dire need. The study has resulted is a multi-faceted approach to creating and managing knowledge to support the international disaster response community in developing culturally appropriate solutions for the reconstruction of communities that address short, intermediate and long-term needs, designing and effective virtual community-based knowledge management solution that provides immediate and relevant access to information for those sourcing information in the disaster management field, and developing specific programs for knowledge transfer linking the in-depth knowledge of a few experienced practitioners to the influx of a large cadre of new volunteers. The study is a collaboration of Design Zone/QSTP; Qatar Red Crescent; Virginia Commonwealth University and Qatar University. Habitat for Humanity International and the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies are also supporting this initiative through contributing their expertise.

The software industry being highly knowledge-centric in terms of technology, process and people has been focusing on knowledge management strategically for the past two decades. Although the processes of knowledge creation and sharing are well researched, knowledge application is not well addressed. This study identifies project knowledge application and management support for knowledge application as the dimensions of knowledge application creating value to knowledge management in the software industry. Through a structural equation modelling approach, the relationships of management support for knowledge application, project knowledge application and effective knowledge management are tested. The findings show that the management support for knowledge application has an indirect effect—higher than a direct effect—on effective knowledge management through project knowledge application. The empirical study done on data collected from 540 software professionals of 170 National Association of Software and Services Companies-listed software companies proves the significance of knowledge application through management support and projects on effective knowledge management. But the role of management support is not as strong as project knowledge, and hence the organizations could enhance their culture of management support. The dimensions of knowledge application create value for people and process in software organizations by developing an environment of openness, collaboration and creativity, in addition to creating better response to changing environments which will help organizations to achieve the benefits of lean-agile software and system developments at scale.

Over the years, there have been an escalating shift from manual work to knowledge work all over the world and knowledge workers are in high demand. This study explores how well knowledge management factors such as information technology, organizational culture, measurement, management leadership and support, and human resources management exist in the Nigerian banking industry and it examined how well these critical success factors are being implemented. The study uses study consisted of members of staff of six selected Nigerian banks. A total of 100 copies of research questionnaire were administered to collect data for the study. The 100 questionnaire were administered to the respondents out of which 72 copies were duly filled and found usable, amounting to 72% response rate. The study found that there is high level of management leadership and support with mean score of 4.01, organizational culture (4.01), measurement (4.02); information technology (4.43), and human resources management practices (4.18). In total, the mean score for knowledge management practice in the Nigerian banking industry is 4.43, making it a highly practiced concept in the Nigerian banking industry. It is recommended that management of banks in Nigeria should invest in knowledge management activities especially in this time that most economies in the world are knowledge-based.

Purpose: This study explores the linkage between Knowledge management practices and company performance. Keeping in view the theoretical and empirical importance, the present study examines the predicting linkage of Knowledge management practices (sharing of best practices and building of consistent process, continues employee learning, effective management of knowledge, innovative culture development, and management of core competencies) with company performance. Methodology: The study was carried out on purposively selected sample of 412 employees at different managerial positions. They were administered questionnaires including Knowledge Management Practices and company performance. Data was operated by using SPSS version 20.Correlation and regression analysis was done to establish the relationship between various Knowledge management practices and company performance. Findings: Results of this study illustrated that all selected Knowledge management were positively related to company performance. Based on the findings, and management of core competencies was the strongest predictor of company performance, followed by innovative culture development, effective management of knowledge and sharing of best practices and building of consistent process, continues employee learning. Research limitations/implications: The paper focuses on examining the perceptual impacts of Knowledge management (KM) practices on company performance. The interpretation of results should be taken with caution. Value: The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between Knowledge management and company performance, study the importance of Knowledge management as a source of sustainable competitive advantages for companies and to investigate how the introduction of Knowledge management practices facilitates company performance to improve. The practices that have a more positive influence on company performance are also discussed.

ABSTRACTThis study aims to analyze the influence of effective knowledge management and organizational performance on the effectiveness of hospitals' responses to COVID‐19. Knowledge management is considered a fundamental resource for achieving improvement in health organizations' performance. Supported by this theoretical lens, this paper analyzes the relationship between the effectiveness of responding to crises and organizational performance. Data were collected through research sent to physicians and nurses who worked in hospitals in Brazil and Portugal. We sent the survey using a professional social network, and we have received 248 valid responses. The PLS‐SEM analysis technique was used to test hypotheses. The results showed that there is a positive correlation between effective knowledge management and organizational performance with the effective response to COVID‐19. In addition, the results suggest the need to develop internal programs to increment knowledge transfers among their professionals. As practical implications, our research validates the relationships between effective knowledge management, organizational performance, and hospital response effectiveness, as well as the importance of effective knowledge management for pandemic management. As originality, this work provides hospitals and other healthcare organizations with a direction to manage key resources to improve their effectiveness response to new disease outbreaks.

Introduction to the International Medical Informatics Association

This study explores the linkage between Knowledge management practices and company performance. Keeping in view the theoretical and empirical importance, the present study examines the predicting linkage of Knowledge management practices (sharing of best practices and building of consistent process, continues employee learning, effective management of knowledge, innovative culture development, and management of core competencies) with company performance. The study was carried out on purposively selected sample of 412 employees at different managerial positions. They were administered questionnaires including Knowledge Management Practices and company performance. Data was operated by using SPSS version 20. Correlation and regression analysis was done to establish the relationship between various Knowledge management practices and company performance. Results of this study illustrated that all selected Knowledge management were positively related to company performance. Based on the findings, and management of core competencies was the strongest predictor of company performance, followed by innovative culture development, effective management of knowledge and sharing of best practices and building of consistent process, continues employee learning.

The internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is an important topic in economics, with numerous studies focusing on this process over the past decades. Many researchers have concluded that internationalisation of SMEs is a complex task requiring the consideration of many factors. A key issue in existing research is the insuffi cient attention given to the role of knowledge in the internationalisation process. Despite the recognition of the importance of knowledge, most studies focus on other aspects such as innovation activities, network structures, and management. While these aspects are important, the potential of SMEs remains untapped without adequate attention to the knowledge that underpins successful international operations.This article proposes a new model of internationalisation based on knowledge-driven innovation, which views international market entry through the lens of knowledge acquired by SMEs and the resulting innovations implemented. The model is based on empirical research with 179 respondents representing SMEs operating in international markets.The model views internationalisation as a dynamic process in which knowledge-based innovation plays a crucial role at each stage, helping SMEs adapt to international conditions and enhance their competitiveness. The study found that successful internationalisation of SMEs depends on the creation of knowledge-based innovations. Eff ective knowledge management - including collection, storage, dissemination and exploitation - is essential for the development of such innovations. To achieve better results, SMEs should prioritise aspects such as regular knowledge sharing, the use of effi cient information systems, and the involvement of management in knowledge management processes. The knowledge-driven innovation model provides a structured approach to internationalisation, covering the stages of preparation, initiation, and experienced market penetration. To successfully enter international markets, it is essential to create an environment where employees understand their role and the importance of knowledge, and where mangement actively supports knowledge sharing and innovation processes. Such approaches will help SMEs achieve sustainable success and remain competitive in international markets.

With the current changes driven by the expansion of the World Wide Web, this book uses a different approach from other books on the market: it applies ontologies to electronically available information to improve the quality of knowledge management in large and distributed organizations. Ontologies are formal theories supporting knowledge sharing and reuse. They can be used to explicitly represent semantics of semi-structured information. These enable sophisticated automatic support for acquiring, maintaining and accessing information. Methodology and tools are developed for intelligent access to large volumes of semi-structured and textual information sources in intra- and extra-, and internet-based environments to employ the full power of ontologies in supporting knowledge management from the information client perspective and the information provider. The aim of the book is to support efficient and effective knowledge management and focuses on weakly-structured online information sources. It is aimed primarily at researchers in the area of knowledge management and information retrieval and will also be a useful reference for students in computer science at the postgraduate level and for business managers who are aiming to increase the corporations information infrastructure. The Semantic Web is a very important initiative affecting the future of the WWW that is currently generating huge interest. The book covers several highly significant contributions to the semantic web research effort, including a new language for defining ontologies, several novel software tools and a coherent methodology for the application of the tools for business advantage. It also provides 3 case studies which give examples of the benefits to be derived from the adoption of semantic-web based ontologies in situations. As such, the book is an excellent mixture of theory, tools and applications in an important area of WWW research. Provides guidelines for introducing knowledge management concepts and tools into enterprises, to help knowledge providers present their knowledge efficiently and effectively. Introduces an intelligent search tool that supports users in accessing information and a tool environment for maintenance, conversion and acquisition of information sources. Discusses three large case studies which will help to develop the technology according to the actual needs of large and or virtual organisations and will provide a testbed for evaluating tools and methods. The book is aimed at people with at least a good understanding of existing WWW technology and some level of technical understanding of the underpinning technologies (XML/RDF). It will be of interest to graduate students, academic and industrial researchers in the field, and the many industrial personnel who are tracking WWW technology developments in order to understand the business implications. It could also be used to support undergraduate courses in the area but is not itself an introductory text. Generating huge interest and backed by the global WorldWideWeb consortium the semantic web is the key initiative driving the future of the World Wide Web. Towards the Semantic Web focuses on the application of Semantic Web technology and ontologies in particular to electronically available information to improve the quality of knowledge management in large and distributed organizations. Ontologies are formal structures supporting knowledge sharing and reuse. They can be used to represent explicitly the semantics of structured and semi-structured information which enable sophisticated automatic support for acquiring, maintaining and accessing information. Covering the key technologies for the next generation of the WWW, this book is an excellent mixture of theory, tools and applications in an important area of WWW research. Aims to support more efficient and effective knowledge management and focuses on weakly-structured online information sources. Covers highly significant contributions to the semantic web research effort, including a new language for defining ontologies, several novel software tools and a coherent methodology for the application of the tools for business advantage. Provides guidelines for introducing knowledge management concepts and tools into businesses. Introduces an intelligent search tool that supports users in accessing information and a tool environment for maintenance, conversion and acquisition of information sources. Also describes information visualisation and knowledge sharing tools. Describes a state-of-the-art system for storage and retrieval of metadata expressed in RDF and RDF Schema. Also discusses a system for automatic metadata extraction. Examines three significant case studies providing examples of the benefits to be derived from the adoption of semantic-web based ontologies in real world situations.

Background: Knowledge management is crucial for industrial success and continuity, playing a vital role in the management of industries. Effective knowledge management can lead to improved performance and competitive advantage. Objective: This study aims to understand the impact of knowledge management on industrial performance in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, focusing on both tacit and explicit knowledge. Method: The study is grounded in the Organizational Knowledge Creation Theory and follows an explanatory research design. A total of 173 managers from various industries within Kathmandu Valley were interviewed using a structured questionnaire facilitated by the Kobo Toolbox. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SPSS and AMOS software to examine the relationship between knowledge management practices and industrial performance. Result: The findings reveal that both tacit and explicit knowledge have a significant positive impact on organizational performance. The ability to rapidly gather, document, and share information within an organization enhances industrial performance. Conclusion: The study concludes that effective knowledge management is essential for maximizing industrial performance in Nepalese industrial estates. The emphasis on a culture of information documentation and sharing within organizations can lead to substantial performance improvements. Paper Types: Research Paper Key Words: Knowledge management, organizational performance, industrial estates, SEM, Kathmandu Valley JEL Classification: D83, L25, P27