Revisiting Knowledge Management Systems: Exploring Factors Influencing the Choices of Knowledge Management Systems in Knowledge-Intensive Organisations

Abstract

Limited research attention has been directed toward exploring ways in which organisations' understanding of their activities and the contexts in which their workers work influence the organisations' choice, design, and implementation of knowledge management systems (KMS). In particular, little research and insights exist to guide the successful development and implementation of KMS in knowledge-intensive organisations (KIOs). This oversight is somewhat surprising given that knowledge is a key asset in KIOs and one might therefore expect the design of systems that are used to manage knowledge of paramount interest to KIO researchers and practitioners. Using primarily grounded theory approach this study examines how KIO defining factors, KIO organisational knowledge-intensity attributes and knowledge worker activities relate to the choice of KMS in KIOs. Results of this analysis suggest that both organisational knowledge-intense attributes and knowledge-intense worker activities inform the choice and application of KMS in KIOs. Notably, the results revealed significant differences among participants in their choices of KMS, pointing to the fact that managers and practitioners in KIOs critically consider knowledge-intense factors defining their organisations when choosing and implementing KMS. This study contributes to the knowledge management (KM) literature in general and in particular to the KMS in KIOs theory and practice, where limited attention has been paid to the various ways knowledge-intense organisational and worker-related factors may influence KMS choices, design, and adoption and ultimately organisational KM effectiveness.