Taiwanese executive practice knowledge management in mainland China and Southeast Asia (Malaysia)

Abstract

PurposeMany scholars and practitioners argue about the Taiwanese government policy of investing in “Go‐South” or “Go‐West” approach. Therefore, this paper aims to present data from two groups showing the differences of Taiwanese executives in China and in Malaysia from the point of view of knowledge management (KM) usage.Design/methodology/approachKnowledge management is very important since enterprises are eager to create value through the better use of knowledge in today's globalization trend. In this study, the State of Knowledge Management: An Assessment Questionnaire, which includes 19 KM tools, was used to identify various kinds of KM tools usage frequencies. Data were collected from 200 firms in China and Malaysia. These firms represent several manufacturing industries, including food, textiles, rubbers and plastics, electronics, and metal manufacturing.FindingsThe results show that executives in China have higher scores in 16 KM tools than executives in Malaysia, which means the former executives practice KM more than the later executives. Chinese people in both Taiwan and China share the same traditional values of respect for age, authority, hierarchy, culture, and language. Therefore, cultural and contextual variables differences may not affect the mix of knowledge‐sharing problems.Originality/valueThis paper reveals useful information showing the differences of Taiwanese executives in China and in Malaysia from the point of view of KM usage.