The review of approaches to knowledge management system studies

Abstract

PurposeThis paper reviews the current literature of knowledge management systems (KMS) studies in organizations. The authors systematically review the literature according to the principle of innovation studies approach, i.e. variance and process approaches. The purpose of this paper is to identify the current state of KMS studies in organizations. By doing this, the way is paved for the authors to find the research gaps, which would facilatively suggest the direction for future research. The authors hope that this review will be regarded as a source for those who share mutual interests in KMS research and could stimulate further research being conducted in the area with different approaches in the future.Design/methodology/approachJournal articles published within the period 2003‐2013 were collected. The articles were sourced mainly from Emerald, Science Direct, IEEE,MIS Quarterly, as well as some other academic databases. The search was conducted using such keywords as “knowledge management system” “knowledge repository” “knowledge management tools” “system for knowledge management” and “knowledge‐based system”.FindingsIt was found that the majority of KMS studies primarily pertain to adoption, diffusion, usage, and implementation, which are fundamentally based on a variance approach. The studies based on a process approach, however, are found to be scarce and still lacking. The authors highlight the findings and provide a critical review of the current approach, as well as commenting on the traditional theories that have been applied, unified, and modified for the studies of KMS in organizations. The authors also suggest some appropriate approaches to studying KMS in organizations and future directions for further research in this field.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper has produced a certain result of review studies from the existing literature during the period 2003‐2013. However, the review mainly focused on different approaches that looked into the classification of study schemes and theories being applied for research, while not focusing on other aspects that may be relevant to the area of studies.Originality/valueThe result of this review highlights some gaps in the literature in terms of findings and critical observation of the theoretical and methodological approaches to the research of KMS studies in organizations. Directions for future research are suggested.