Implementation Of Knowledge Management Processes Research Articles

Assessment of Construction Competitiveness through Knowledge Management Process Implementation

In the turbulent construction market, the knowledge management process (KMP) is one of the most valuable tools of sustainability to help construction companies deal with dynamic changes and enhance their construction competitiveness (CC). To effectively utilize KMP in construction, this study aims to explore the interrelationships between key KMP factors and their influences on the CC, utilizing the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The objectives include extracting key KMP factors necessary for the CC enhancement, identifying direct and indirect relationships between the KMP and CC factors, and developing a self-assessment form to assist construction companies in evaluating their KMP performance and planning for long-term improvement. The results show that the five key KMP factors, namely knowledge utilization (KU), knowledge dissemination (KD), knowledge responsiveness (KR), knowledge storage (KS), and knowledge acquisition (KA), have direct and indirect effects on CC and that the feedback of CC is sent back to KMP factors for continuous improvement. The KU factor is crucial for short-term improvement. Construction companies should utilize stakeholders’ current practices and experiences to solve problems, conclude lessons learned, and pinpoint practices for future uses. The KS factor, on the other hand, should be emphasized for long-term plans to enhance KMP implementation and CC achievements. A long-term investment plan should be initiated in the database system to properly and effectively implement digital transformation in the 4.0 Era. The self-assessment form developed from the study results assists construction companies in assessing their KMP implementation and planning for sustainable development.

A Model for Improved Knowledge Management Performance in Higher Education Institutions in Developing Countries: A Case of Zambia

Knowledge management is an organizational process of creating a centralized knowledge source that enables acquiring, assimilating, distributing, integrating, sharing, retrieving and reuse of internal and external, explicit and tacit knowledge to promote innovation in the organization. Higher education institutions are not an exception and must be at the center of knowledge management practices as they are the major producers of a country’s workforce. The knowledge from individuals, systems and collaborations with other institutions can only be properly appreciated by way of having a well-executed knowledge management system in place. Whilst knowledge management is seen to be a very important practice to have in a higher education institution, in Zambia, knowledge management systems do not seem to be given the deserved importance and consideration by higher education institutions. The primary aim of this study is to propose a model that would assist with the knowledge management implementation process in higher education institutions in Zambia. Four higher education institutions were purposively selected to give an overview of the status of KM practice, namely: the University of Zambia, Mulungushi University, Chalimbana University and the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA). This study adopted a mixed method approach, that is, qualitative and quantitative research design for analyzing research questions and for effective interpretation of data from the questionnaire. Both online and hardcopy questionnaires were distributed among the respondents. IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) version 20 was used to analyze the data. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tests (Pearson Chi-square) were used. The results revealed that the majority of the respondents have a good level of knowledge management awareness; however, it is not commonly practiced in the institutions. These institutions do not have knowledge management policies or strategies in place and there is no presence of a KM department. If there is one, probably on paper but not established nor practiced. The study proposed a model that would guide the adoption process of knowledge management practices in higher education institutions in Zambia, by highlighting some critical success factors from the four categories of CSF as proposed by the Heisig (2009) model.

The New Experiential Impacts Linked to the Application of Knowledge Management in Businesses

In recent times, the emergence of knowledge and its application is fundamental to success and failure, for individuals, societies, business and corporate governance. Therefore, there is the neeed to tap up knowledge, disseminate and use for gaining a competitive advantage, despite the existing difficulties. Hence, having a pre-requisite knowledge on staff recruitment quality, employee’s behavior to change management, inadvertent tacit knowledge, and knowledge update programs and their application will help determine the success of KM implementation in companies. In the process of KM implementation, some of the constraining factors are more general and have consequences on the knowledge management implementation process. However, enhancing and sustaining a competitive advantage and developing further innovative business strategies through the knowledge management implementation process is a means to grow companies, and achieve economic prosperity. This study examines the barriers to knowledge management implementation (KMI) and how they impact the implementation process in ten (10) companies in Ghana. The investigation was conducted using a survey design, which used valid sample adequacy of 295 respondents. Multiple linear regression model and ANOVA tests were applied. Our findings discovered a linked and aggregated impacts on the in dependent variable. The study revealed that staff recruitment quality and knowledge update programs have direct and positive effect on the KM implementation process (see figure 1). However, individual’s inadvertent tacit knowledge and individual’s resistance to change management were not statistically significant on the knowledge implementation process (see figure 1). Hence, companies must see staff recruitment quality, resistance to change management, inadvertent tacit knowledge, and knowledge update programs as variables with either positive or negative impact on KM implementation in businesses. Findings add to existing information in the fields of business and industrial management. We conclude that resistance to change management and tacit knowledge of individual employees are hindrance to knowledge management implementation process which will consequently affect business growth. Therefore, we advance knowledge for business and industrial management for policy consideration.

BUSINESS STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT MODEL FOR APPLYING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION

This study aims at developing a knowledge management (KM) model that construction companies can apply for effective knowledge management implementations in their businesses. In developing the proposed model, a mixed methodology of analysing related literature and identifying the gaps in some existing models intended for the construction industry is applied. In addition, a questionnaire and interviews approaches are conducted to prepare, enhance, strengthen and validate the developed model. The major finding of this study is proposing a new KM model – named as BAN model – that fits potential conditions for construction contracting firms, especially enterprises that are small in size and nonadopting KM. The developed model comprises six main stages: (1) preliminary stage; (2) development of an organizational strategy stage; (3) start-up stage; (4) implementation stage; (5) monitoring and evaluation stage; and (6) derivation of short- and long-term KM values. The proposed model is capable of filling and solving the gaps in existing knowledge management models and defining major success factors in KM implementation. The benefits of the proposed model include the enhancement of the KM implementation process, facilitation of the decision-making process, attainment and maintenance of competitive advantages, improvement of innovation, and continuance of effective KM performance.

Does size matter? The effects of public sector organizational size’ on knowledge management processes and operational efficiency

PurposeFirm size is an important contingency variable in macro-organizational studies. Several questions arise in relation to knowledge management and organizational size that is critical to both public and private organizations. Unfortunately, despite its significance, all or most of the studies that examined the effects of organizational size’ on knowledge management have been in the private sector. This paper aims to empirically study the effects of organizational size on the key knowledge management processes and subsequent operational efficiency derived from its implementation in the public sector.Design/methodology/approachA structured country-wide survey of United Arab Emirates public sector organizations was conducted. The 383 completed responses obtained were then analysed to assess the hypothesized differences in the implementation of knowledge management processes (knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge capture, knowledge storage and retrieval, knowledge sharing, knowledge utilization) and its impact on the operational efficiency across small and medium, large and very large public sector organizations.FindingsThe results revealed that the extent of implementation of all six knowledge management processes and operational efficiency followed an inverted “V” pattern, in which, both knowledge management processes and operational efficiency was found to increase while transitioning from small and medium entities to large entities, but was found to decrease while transitioning from large to very large entities. In terms of relationships, while all knowledge management processes had a significant positive impact on the operational efficiency of the public sector, the ability to derive operational efficiency from knowledge management processes was found to be the highest for very large public sector organizations.Practical implicationsThe novel findings are useful for practitioners and policymakers, especially those overseeing a country’s knowledge management initiatives to devise strategies, policies and support mechanisms to ensure public sector organizations, regardless of their size, can implement efficient and effective knowledge management processes to improve their operational efficiency.Originality/valueThe study is arguably the first comprehensive attempt to understand the impact of organizational size on knowledge management in the public sector.

A Meta-Model Integration for Supporting Knowledge Discovery in Specific Domains: A Case Study in Healthcare.

Knowledge management is one of the key priorities of many organizations. They face different challenges in the implementation of knowledge management processes, including the transformation of tacit knowledge—experience, skills, insights, intuition, judgment and know-how—into explicit knowledge. Furthermore, the increasing number of information sources and services in some domains, such as healthcare, increase the amount of information available. Therefore, there is a need to transform that information in knowledge. In this context, learning ecosystems emerge as solutions to support knowledge management in a different context. On the other hand, the dashboards enable the generation of knowledge through the exploitation of the data provided from different sources. The model-driven development of these solutions is possible through two meta-models developed in previous works. Even though those meta-models solve several problems, the learning ecosystem meta-model has a lack of decision-making support. In this context, this work provides two main contributions to face this issue. First, the definition of a holistic meta-model to support decision-making processes in ecosystems focused on knowledge management, also called learning ecosystems. The second contribution of this work is an instantiation of the presented holistic meta-model in the healthcare domain.

Nexus of knowledge-oriented leadership, knowledge management, innovation and organizational performance in higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of knowledge-oriented leadership on organizational performance of higher education institutions (HEIs) and examine the neglected mediating role of knowledge management (KM) processes and innovation.Design/methodology/approachFollowing the quantitative and cross-sectional research design, data were collected through self-administered questionnaire from 312 faculty members of HEIs of Pakistan. The partial least squares structural equation modelling data analysis technique was applied to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsThe results indicate that knowledge-oriented leadership has direct and positive effect on organizational performance. Moreover, the findings reveal that KM processes and innovation partially mediate the effect of knowledge-oriented leadership on organizational performance.Practical implicationsThis study underscores the imrportant role of knowledge-oriented leadership in HEIs. Findings of this research suggest that by exhibiting knowledge-oriented behaviours, managers of HEIs can effectively manage their knowledge assets, ensure successful implementation of KM processes and augment product and process innovation leading towards superior organizational performance.Originality/valueThis is amongst one of the first studies that proposes an integrated research model and examines interrelationships amongst knowledge-oriented leadership, KM processes, innovation and organizational performance in the context of HEIs.

Role of Knowledge Management in Enhancing the Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Through Corporate Entrepreneurship and Strategic Intent in High-tech Firms

The paper studies the role of knowledge management in enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem using knowledge management, co-governance, and co-management in high-tech firms. All these factors are important variables defining entrepreneurial ecosystem. The key drivers of knowledge management include intelligence generation and intelligence dissemination which are also critical variables of market intelligence for developing new products and creating new business creation as strategic business units in the entrepreneurial firm. The objective of the paper is to understand the dynamics of the components of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems, with an emphasis on the role of knowledge creation, diffusion, and application across the spectrum of high-tech organizations and their co-governance process and co-management processes.The methodology includes an empirical study based on data collected from all over India. More than 381 data were collected and analyzed using SPSS. Factor analysis and reliability analysis were used to find the reliability of questionnaire. Regression and correlation were used to analyze the influence of knowledge management processes on entrepreneurial ecosystem. Also, we analyzed the role of management support in facilitating culture for enabling corporate entrepreneurship. Response rate was 19.25%. The detailed case study of NASA and IBM was also undertaken to study the knowledge management system (Bixler & Stankosky, 2005). The paper undertakes the management approach to shed new light on the evolving role of knowledge on newbusiness creation and new product development. On the basis of analysis, it was found that entrepreneurial ecosystem includes the entrepreneurial proactiveness which is significantly influenced by lifecycle and strategic intent of high-tech firms. Moreover, leadership, knowledge management, and management support are the other components of entrepreneurial ecosystem that may influence the culture of innovation for facilitating entrepreneurship. The study also showed that culture is also influenced by the degree of involvement of the employees in pursuing the new ventures.The global implications of the paper include the advancement in the theory and body of knowledge in terms of development of correlation between the components of entrepreneurial ecosystem and knowledge management and strategic intent. The present study identifies the role of knowledge management in enhancing entrepreneurial culture, innovation, and new business creation within the firm to make it more competitive in the global arena. The concept of using intelligence generation and dissemination of knowledge through knowledge management systems has not been studied before with respect to entrepreneurial ecosystem and competitiveness, and there was a huge gap in the literature and managerial practice. Earlier studies have not identified the processes of knowledge management such as role of intelligence generation and dissemination and especially how the companies are implementing these processes. Interestingly, the study also covers the process of knowledge management implementation by describing such processes in NASA and IBM. For explaining these processes, the author has studied the case study of NASA and IBM which is the major contribution toward the managerial and research contributions through this study. The study balances practice with application and theory with the underlying concepts.

Knowledge management processes and performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ownership of public sector organizations on the implementation of knowledge management (KM) processes and subsequent performance. Design/methodology/approach Using 268 responses obtained from a structured country-wide survey, the study assesses the hypothesized differences in the implementation of KM processes (knowledge creation, knowledge capture and storage, knowledge sharing and knowledge application and use), the overall performance benefits of implementation (innovation, quality and operational performance), and their relationships, among the federal, state and semi-government organizations in the United Arab Emirates. Findings The results show that federal government organizations implement all four KM processes to the greatest extent, followed by state and semi-government organizations. In general, all KM processes had a significant positive impact on the innovation, quality and operational performance of the public sector, but the strength of this impact was found to differ across different public sector organizations. The overall improvement in all three performance aspects was found to be highest for federal, followed by state and semi-government organizations. Practical implications The findings of this study are useful for practitioners and policymakers, especially those overseeing national KM programs to devise strategies, policies and support mechanisms to ensure that public sector organizations, regardless of their ownership, can implement efficient and effective KM processes and achieve their desired performance goals. Originality/value The study is arguably the first comprehensive attempt to understand the impact of firm ownership on KM in the public sector.

Selection and prioritization of knowledge management strategies as proportionate with organizations’ level of maturity using fuzzy TOPSIS approach, case study

PurposeDue to importance of knowledge management (KM) strategies in successful implementation of KM processes and saving time and expense, selection of suitable KM strategies has been changed to be a major concern by many organizations. Therefore, this is necessary for organizations to move along KM processes in selection and establishment of their strategies at their first step. An influential factor in selection of KM strategies is measurement and identification of an organization’s condition of its knowledge maturity. Accordingly, this paper aims to select and prioritize KM strategies as proportionate with an organization’s level of maturity.Design/methodology/approachFor that, the author-constructed questionnaire was designated based on the opinions made by experts acquainted with KM and KM strategies. According to experts’ opinions, the paradigm for suggestion of strategies was elucidated based on KM’s level of maturity. Afterwards, the standard questionnaire knowledge navigator model was used to evaluate the organization’s level of maturity, and KM strategies for the organization were proposed based on identified level of maturity. Finally, proposed KM strategies were ranked using the fuzzy TOPSIS technique.FindingsIn this study, a paradigm for selection of suitable KM strategies was proposed based on Hansen KM strategy as per maturity level of the organization’s KM. Then, knowledge conditions of a research organization were evaluated, and, after maturity level of that organization’s KM was assessed, different criteria of Hansen KM strategy were suggested for each level independently. Research results are indicative of the fact that the intended organization is placed at the second level of KM maturity. Therefore, personalization strategies are proposed for this organization based on the elucidated paradigm. Moreover, development of work communities and development of face-to-face interactions among staff through continuous meetings were chosen as the most significant KM strategies in this organization.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the leading studies carried out in the purview of codification of KM strategies according to different organizations’ level of maturity. Results of this study might be used as guidelines by different organizations, academic people and experts intending to codify KM strategies.

Development and Validation of a Readiness for Knowledge Management Implementation Questionnaire (RKMIQ)

The purpose of this study was to identify the psychometric properties of a Readiness for Knowledge Management Implementation Questionnaire (RKMIQ) administered to State Audit Institution (SAI) Employees. This study explored the level of readiness for knowledge management (KM) process implementation in SAI. The dimensional structure of the questionnaire was investigated with a sample of 170 SAI employees (70% males and 30% females). Based on factor analysis results, the questionnaire emphasized sixteen factors categorized in five themes: organization culture, organization structure, information technology (IT) infrastructure, employees’ acceptance of KM, and employees’ intention to be involved in the KM process. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of RKMIQ were verified (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.95). RKMIQ and its factors were significantly correlated with factors influencing the KM initiatives questionnaire (FIKMIQ). Testing of the reliability of RKMIQ using Test-Re-Test method revealed a significant correlation of (0.96) between the two applications. This questionnaire was proved to be relatively reliable and valid. The results showed that SAI is ready for KM process implementation. Since it is essential to assess organizational readiness for KM before embarking on KM initiatives, this study designed an instrument that brings together organizational and human factors influencing the readiness of organizations for KM. The comprehensiveness of the instrument, as well as the degree of validity and reliability that it demonstrated, justifies its adoption to measure the readiness of organizations to implement KM processes.

Toward a Theoretical Model of Learning Organization and Knowledge Management Processes

This article puts forward a conceptual model for understanding the influence of the learning organization's five disciplines on knowledge management processes. It proposes that the learning process should be measured as a multi-disciplinary construct consisting of personal mastery, mental models, team learning, shared vision, and systems thinking. Potential implications of learning organisation disciplines for the acquisition, sharing, and application of knowledge are illustrated. A number of possible relationships between learning organization disciplines, and knowledge management processes were employed to propose such relationships. This article develops a measure that shows the connection between the learning organization's disciplines and knowledge management processes. Through a conceptualization of the relationships between the learning organization discipline and knowledge management processes the study provides practical guidance for practitioners during the implementation of knowledge management processes.

Knowledge modelling for contract disputes and change control

The construction industry involves many participants with different perspectives and requirements. Contracts can provide significant value, and yet ineffective contract management frequently leads to disputes. In practice, contracts are hardly reviewed, and contract management is limited. This study aims to investigate how firms can improve their internal processes relating to knowledge management (KM) through effective contract management to aid construction practitioners in managing contract disputes and changes. Using a questionnaire survey and a workshop involving experienced industry practitioners and researchers, the findings reveal that project- and individual-level implementation of KM processes is stronger than at the organizational level, and also there are substantial human resources (HR) practices that support contractual KM. Workshop participants believe efficient and effective KM can minimise losses from contract changes and disputes. A construction contract management process framework, a 19-step benchmarking model for contract management and a construction planning checklist for contractors are proposed.

Planning for Knowledge Management Implementation in Academic Libraries: Empirical Evidence From Federal University Libraries in Nigeria

The main reason for the failure of many knowledge management (KM) projects is the absence of a well-defined framework or strategy to guide KM implementation. This paper is an attempt to determine the planning needs of the KM deployment process and propose a framework that could be used specifically by the federal university libraries in Nigeria to guide the KM implementation process. Quantitative research approach was adopted in this study and the design was a descriptive survey. A total of 300 librarians responded to the survey that sought their opinions on the planning needs for KM implementation process. The survey instrument was a questionnaire, and it was used to collect data from the respondents. Data collected were analysed using mean, standard deviation, ranks and percentages obtained with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results of the study revealed the planning needs for KM implementation as consisting of the goals which the university library intends to achieve through KM, the KM process, skills and tools required as well as the type of partnerships needed. Based on these needs, this study proposes a KM framework made up of strategies and tactical moves to guide the KM implementation process.

Designing an integrated methodology for knowledge management strategic planning

PurposeToday, knowledge extraction and sharing in the organizations have been positioned as one of the most significant managers’ priorities. However, despite huge investments in knowledge management (KM) area, the failure rates of these projects are high. One of the main reasons for these failures is the lack of a roadmap and a methodology for KM strategic planning which assist organizations to develop an integrated and aligned plan with business strategies which eventually reduces project’s failure rate. Yet, despite the extension of KM domain, little studies were conducted on strategic topics and especially KM strategic planning. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to offer an integrated methodology for KM strategic planning.Design/methodology/approachThis study introduces a methodology for KM strategic planning by using the mixed methods. At the first stage, along with a comprehensive literature review, some semi-structured interviews with KM experts were conducted and the obtained data have been analyzed using the thematic analysis. After that, a survey is conducted to validate the extracted dimensions and activities of the proposed methodology via experts’ viewpoints.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that the main phases of the KM strategic planning methodology are as follows: strategic review, strategic orientation, implementation and evaluation. In the proposed methodology, main phases along with their related activities and their implementation order are presented as a roadmap for applying KM initiatives strategically.Research implications/implicationsIn KM planning strategically, all phases of strategic management along with their related activities must be considered simultaneously. The proposed methodology can assist KM policy-makers to identify and guide KM initiatives as well as to perform appropriate actions for progress. This study tries to develop a coherent roadmap for knowledge initiatives by a strategic approach.Originality/valueOne of the major reasons for the failure of many KM projects is the absence of a strategic planning methodology. A review of the KM literature shows that there are few studies, which adequately integrate strategic KM planning process, yet most researchers view KM planning as the most difficult and complex part of KM implementation process. This study aims to introduce a novel methodology to KM strategic planning comprehensively. The main contribution of this study is to develop a new integrated methodology for strategic planning that considers the strategy formulation aspects along with strategy execution and control aspects, synchronously.

Evaluating knowledge management practices in Indian manufacturing and service industry: an overview

India has witnessed a surge in knowledge management (KM) practices over the past decade but these practices vary from business to business. Recording these practices is important as it provides multiple benefits to the business and inputs for the KM implementation process. Developing a scale to measure KM is relevant both for service and manufacturing sector. A literature review was done to conduct an in-depth analysis of the existing scales followed by instrument development and data collection from 320 employees from eight listed enterprises. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has been used for validating the scale. The first outcome of the study is the standardised scale which can be used to record KM practices in both manufacturing and service sector. The second is the identification of important KM practices in business - knowledge acquisition, documentation, creation, transfer and knowledge application.

The impact of leadership on trust, knowledge management, and organizational performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to build a research model that examines the impact of leadership on trust, knowledge management and organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachAn instrument containing six constructs (leadership: leading organization; leadership: leading people; leadership: leading self, trust, knowledge management and organizational performance) was designed and administered to subjects from all levels of management in various organizations in nine regions of the USA. Collected data were analyzed using partial least squares path modeling to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe study’s findings revealed positive and significant linear connection among leadership (leading organization, leading people and leading self), trust, knowledge management and organizational performance.Practical implicationsThe findings imply that effective leadership (leading organization, leading people and leading self) contributes to elevated trust among people, promotes the successful implementation of knowledge management processes, and in turn enhances organizational performance. Therefore, leadership training and development must be a top strategic priority for any organization.Originality/valueThis study enriches the literature by demonstrating that effective leadership stands as the bedrock of the elevated trust, the successful knowledge management processes and the enhanced organizational performance.

Solid Knowledge Management – The ingredient companies need for performance: A Romanian insight

The paper explores knowledge management (KM) through the accounting and auditing field, emphasizing the authors’ research results designed to examine the Romanian firms’ perspective on KM. The authors strive to understand how the audit firms manage their knowledge aiming at providing quality services with added value. The important changes in auditing and accounting standards and national regulations and the dynamic of the profession in the Big Data era determine the need of a continuous process of information gathering and storage next to the increase of accountants and auditors’ expertise and skills. The investigation revealed an insufficient understanding of KM concept and lack of focus on KM process implementation, this being the consequence of the numerous small and medium accounting and auditing firms, limited investments in IT tools for audit and KM purposes and insufficient training on KM issues. The paper contributes to the KM and auditing literature by demonstrating the need to urgent the implementation of KM systems in Romanian audit firms and providing suggestions in this regard.

Leading knowledge management in a secondary school

Leading knowledge management in a secondary school

Beginning a journey of knowledge management in a secondary school

PurposeDespite the fact that schools should be places where learning occurs, most schools have overlooked the importance of knowledge. In contrast, commercial firms have recognized knowledge as a strategic intangible asset and a key resource of the enterprises. Therefore, enterprises have already harnessed knowledge to a great extent with wide practice of knowledge management (KM). The purpose of this paper is to show that KM could be applied to the education sector similar to the practice in the business world for leveraging intellectual assets. This paper examines how schools can kick off the process of KM implementation. This paper also reports what have been done and what should be done in KM implementation better in a school. This can give insights for schools which will try KM in near future.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a case study in a secondary school to explore how KM can be kicked off and sustained in a school setting. A KM system called knowledge base and a document management system called Digital Archive were developed to serve as the infrastructure for knowledge sharing. Lesson study and communities of practice (CoPs) were adopted to be the platforms for knowledge sharing among teachers in the school. A case study of the processes and lesson learned was done in this paper. Multiple sources of data, including observations, questionnaires and interviews, have been collected for evaluation.FindingsIn this paper, KM implementation was found to be effective through dual approaches: information-based and people-/interaction-based approaches. A knowledge base and a Digital Archive as knowledge repositories and lesson study and CoPs as platforms for knowledge sharing have been successfully established to facilitate sharing information/knowledge and nurturing a sharing culture and trust. Challenges faced and the related coping strategies during the process of implementation were shared and reflected. It was also found that building sharing culture is the critical turning point of the process of KM implementation. Breaking through the barrier of sharing was found to be very essential to KM implementation.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper adopts case study methodology to report the process of KM implementation in a school. Although these results of the study conducted in one school may not be generalized to other school contexts, the lessons learned in the study will be a strong empirical evidence of research of KM implementation, especially in schools. Because of the limited number of prior studies and the importance of the pioneering work of launching KM implementation, this paper tries to address the research gap by using theory building from cases as a research strategy rather than theory testing research, especially in “how”and“why” in the steps of kicking off KM implementation in an unexplored research area.Practical implicationsThis paper shows a case of KM implementation in a school with thoughtful procedures of implementing information-based and people-/interaction-based approaches. The paper is a showcase that will shed light on the processes and lessons learned and also helps to provide a model for schools who are interested in applying KM in their schools.Social implicationsMost people might think that KM can be applied only in commercial sector. This paper shows that KM can also be adopted in schools as well as other sectors.Originality/valueThis paper represents one of the pioneering work of implementing KM in a school. It hopes to make contributions for KM implementation also in the public sector within which are non-profit-making organizations.