Knowledge Management Capacity Research Articles

Knowledge management practices

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate KM practices that may be in place in the higher education institutions (HEIs) and whether the KM practices are made known to the employees for improving the teaching and learning environment provided at the Malaysian higher education institutions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a personal administrated method made available to private higher education institutions academic members in five states with 30 or more employees. A total of 1,100 survey questionnaires were handed out, out of which 273 were collected and were usable (24.8 per cent response rate). The sample was checked for response and non-response bias. Results were tested using SPSS application and questionnaire tools.FindingsIt was essential to establish the knowledge management (KM) capacity in key areas such as the ability to recognise experts within the institution, leadership’s innovation, knowledge sharing and knowledge acquiring work culture, and technology usage. KM tools and techniques would help the institutions to meet their competitive goals; therefore, it is vital for HEIs to create KM awareness among the employees.Research limitations/implicationsSimilar to most studies, it is anticipated that the participants’ awareness of KM practices at their HEIs is very high. The samples were collected to evaluate the general view of KM awareness and how participants perceived KM practices. The total samples received for this study were expected; however, they were sufficient to study the impact.Practical implicationsThis paper provides support for the importance of KM practices and employees awareness at HEIs to enhance innovation and performance teaching and learning environment.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first papers to find empirical support for the role of KM practices at HEIs. Further, the positioning of KM practices as a competitive tool can be considered as an influential factor to competitive advantage.

Evolving Absorptive Capacity: The Mediating Role of Systematic Knowledge Management

Absorptive capacity is mediated through knowledge management capacity on innovation output and performance in technology-oriented firms. While prior research work has focused on the direct effect of absorptive capacity on innovation, in this paper, our model posits that absorptive capacity is more efficient in promoting firms' innovation provided that it is supported by systematic knowledge management practices. We tested this model that included all four components of absorptive capacity using a sample of 127 manufacturing and technology firms in Croatia. Structural equation modeling procedures were used to test hypotheses. Our findings confirm the significance of the relationship between absorptive capacity and knowledge management within firms. Furthermore, we found that firms with higher acquisition and transformation dimensions of absorptive capacity can enhance and replenish their knowledge management practices, which in return result in higher innovation output. These findings extend previous research work by explaining the sometimes-contradictory findings concerning knowledge management practices, which firms may adopt to enhance their absorptive capacity.

Knowledge-based HR Practices and Innovation in SMEs

Abstract Background and purpose: Recent reviews of the human resource management (HRM) literature continue to position knowledge management and intellectual capital as the key determinants for competitiveness, productiveness and organizational performance. This article explores the nexus between knowledge-based HRM practices, knowledge management capacity, intellectual capital, product and process innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were gleaned from 250 registered SMEs in Jordan using a simple random sampling technique. A covariance structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) was deployed in testing the proposed research model. Results: The findings cast light on the positive influence of knowledge-based HRM practice of SMEs on SMEs knowledge management capacity, intellectual capital and, product and process innovation. Similarly, knowledge management capacity SMEs exerts positive impact on their intellectual capital and, product and process innovation. Intellectual capital also emerges as a strong predictor for SMEs product and process innovation. Finally, a serial indirect effect (mediation) of knowledge management capacity and intellectual capital on the relationship between knowledge-based HRM practice of SMEs and, product and process innovation were revealed. Conclusion: Knowledge-based HRM practices and innovation have received vast amount of research attention, yet there is a lack of understanding on the process by which the former leads to the latter. Drawing on knowledge-based view (KBV) theory, this study is among the first attempts to unveil the structural process between knowledge-based HRM practices and innovation through knowledge management capacity and intellectual capital. This study theoretically validated the KBV framework in a non-Western context and demonstrate the importance of knowledge-based HRM practices for SMEs innovativeness. The findings do not only provide useful insights for managers and scholars, but also serve as the building block for future research.

Managing Organizational Open Innovation Capability in a Knowledge-Intensive Business Environment

The paper is aimed to develop a theoretical framework for investigating the main determinants of an organizational open innovation capability and provide a conceptual basis for identifying the core areas which are of importance for effectively managing the implementation of open innovation practices within business organizations. Based on a literature review of research on managerial practices for open innovation collaboration, a definition of a company’s open innovation capability is proposed which places special emphasis on the interrelationship among the strategic components of a business organization’s environment and its dynamic knowledge management capacities. As a result of the study, the integrated model of the organizational open innovation capability is presented that can be used for defining strategic priorities and managerial guidelines for achieving open innovation success. From a practical perspective, companies can apply the proposed conceptual model to review and adjust their organizational open innovation capability on a continuous basis in order to improve innovation performance in the challenging knowledge-intensive business environment.

Strategic human resource practices for innovation performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the conception of strategic human resource practices (SHRPs) for establishing innovation performance (IP) in the tourist hotel industry. In this research, the author has also studied the influence of knowledge management capacity (KMC) as a mediator between the two and the role of environmental uncertainty (EU) in moderating the relation between SHRP and KMC.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through survey method from the employees and managers of the tourist hotels in Jharkhand, India. Furthermore, 368 customer contact employees and 46 managers’ responses were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and SPSS macro named PROCESS.FindingsThe interpretation of the empirical results signifies SHRP influence on IP and KMC as a mediator between SHRP and IP. Additionally, the role of EU in positively mitigating the interaction between SHRP and KMC was seen.Originality/valueThe present research work adds to the subsisting literature by empirically fortifying the proposed hypotheses. Additionally, current studies focused on hospitality and tourism industry operating in a developed economy, the present study is an attempt to explore a comprehensive and theoretically grounded relationship between SHRP, KMC and IP with the help of resource-based view in an emerging economy.

Identifying and assessing the scales of dynamic capabilities: a systematic literature review

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the existing measure instruments for dynamic capabilities (DCs) in order to understand the tendencies of quantitative studies on DCs as well as to evaluate the reliability and validity of these scales.Design/methodology/approachTo accomplish this objective, the authors conducted a systematic review of literature on DCs.FindingsMain findings indicate that quantitative research works on DCs have focused on the relationship between DCs, innovation, organization performance, knowledge management and absorptive capacity. Findings also show that efforts to measure DCs quantitatively are recent and lack reliable methodology.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation of this research is that the authors conducted the systematic review on two databases. However, the authors conducted the research on the two most used databases in management research.Practical implicationsFindings show that academicians have plenty of room to work on quantitative research works on DCs as well as to develop robust scales to measure this construct in diverse business sectors.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to analyze the existing scales that measure DCs.

The Effect Of Knowledge Management Capacity In Innovation Performance

Some of employees at the organizations did not apply their knowledge for improved performance and create new innovation. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of knowledge management capacity in innovation performance at the academic institution. There also to examine the effect of knowledge management capacity towards four variables which are dynamic capability, absorptive capability, technology, and innovation performance. In this study, it will discuss about the relationship between the innovation performance among the staff. These studies were using quantitative method approach and the data collection was collected through questionnaires distribution. There are several previous literature are been reviewing as a supporting details to adapt and adopt the framework of this research. In presenting the result, the data was analyses by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. The pilot test was been conducted by 30 respondents to test the reliability of each variable in the questionnaires. As a result of the findings shows that the have positive significant between the relationship of each variables.

Structural Relationship and Influence between Open Innovation Capacities and Performances

Previous studies related to open innovation have presented piecewise implications in relation to various knowledge management capacities. The study published by Lichtenthaler and Lichtenthaler in 2009 presented a model that combines the various open innovation capacities of firms in view of a mix of knowledge management, dynamic capability and absorptive capacity. Despite these efforts, there have been few empirical studies on the relationships among capacities, or between capacities and performance from an integrated perspective. Therefore, this study seeks to clarify the relationships among knowledge capacities and between knowledge capacities, technological innovation and financial performance at the firm level. Our findings are that the transformative, connective, inventive and absorptive capacities both directly and indirectly affects technological innovation performance; and innovative and desorptive capacities are the key factors connecting technological innovation to financial performance. This study provides managerial implications for the balanced development of the various knowledge capacities and the improvement of technological innovation and financial performance for firm knowledge managers.

Effect of knowledge management on health entrepreneurship through organizational learning capacity in hospitals of Guilan province

Background: Because of the importance of community health and the growing need for health care Health organizations have expanded their scope and with an entrepreneurial approach seeking to upgrade their performance. Knowledge is the most important capital of organizations and key factor in economics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of knowledge management on organizational entrepreneurship through learning capacity. Methods: This research was an applied type, and in terms of method, it was a descriptive survey. The statistical population of the research was the Hospital health staff of Guilan province in 2016, the statistical sample estimated 370 by Morgan table. This research was conducted with three standard knowledge management questionnaires, organizational entrepreneurship and learning capacity with structural equation modeling and smartpls2 software. The reliability of the research tools were calculated Organizational Entrepreneurship 0.88, Knowledge Management 0.93, and Learning Capacity 0.85, respectively. Results: Knowledge management 0.46 and organizational learning capacity have positive effect on organizational entrepreneurship. Also, knowledge distribution 0.94 and knowledge storage 90% and interaction with environment 0.84 and participatory decision-making 0.82 were identified as the most important factors of knowledge management and organizational learning capacity. Conclusion: Managers are encouraged to pay attention to organizational learning capacity and knowledge management skills to increase organizational entrepreneurship. Improvement and attention to knowledge management and the expansion of organizational learning capacity can strengthen entrepreneurship. Therefore, health managers and policymakers should consider these issues.

Role of organizational learning and knowledge management

AbstractThis research is based on Electrocell, a US battery manufacturing company, which was facing problems in its marketing and sales departments as evidenced by its low performance. Following a short introduction to the firm, literature reviews the two recently emerged and widely debated topics, that is, organizational learning and knowledge management. It is followed by the reasons for Electrocell’s declination and revival before and after acquisition by Restart, a US cosmetic manufacturing company. Then, Knowledge Sharing Model, General Hierarchical Model of Organizational Commitment, Knowledge Management, and Learning Organization Capacity, and Three Dimensional Model are described and critically analyzed. At the end, Knowledge Management System Conceptual Model is applied on the case study thoroughly and critically analyzed followed by summary. The research contributes to the literature and offers important implications for academics, managers and strategists that why learning is important and how does it matter to an organization.

Identifying Knowledge Management Capacity Needs of Rural Advisory Service Networks

Knowledge management is the creation, coordination, transfer, and integration of knowledge so it is accessible and usable by specific stakeholders. Knowledge management has been shown to facilitate the development of networks, as well as to sustain established networks, based on the appropriate collection and subsequent application of embedded social capital. For rural advisory service (RAS) networks, knowledge management can be an important tool to ensure that both explicit and tacit knowledge is shared amongst network members with the anticipated benefit of increased capacity of the network. Although the importance of knowledge management is well documented within the literature, there are limited guidelines for what specific knowledge management capacities a RAS network should develop. Using the Delphi process, a panel of 31 experts from 24 countries arrived at consensus on 34 specific knowledge management capacities associated with effective RAS networks. The results of the research provide a practical framework for RAS providers and networks to focus knowledge management capacity assessment and capacity-building activities.

The diversity of why: a meta-analytical study of usage motivation in enterprise social networks

In times of demographic change, skill shortage and disruptive innovations, organizational knowledge management and innovative capacity are the key to a company's success. But how can knowledge be retained with fast staff turnover, global project-based work and parental leaves? Using enterprise social media to improve knowledge dissemination at work seems promising, when looking at the success of private social networking sites. In this article we combine ten different empirical studies which investigated different aspects of how user diversity influences the motivation to use social media at work. The emerging meta-study using the DerSimonian---Laird method (total sample size $$N=522$$N=522) analyzes different aspects of user diversity and their correlation with eight motives for SNS usage: information, importance, contact, self-presentation, autonomy, social comparison, and power and control. We found that that the individual achievement motivation correlates positively with the motives importance, power, information and self-presentation. The need for autonomy correlates with openness to new experiences and the need for social comparison with gender and neuroticism. From our findings, we derive practical implications for designing a social networking site for work which fulfills the users' needs and functions along their motivation.

Change of Attitude, Technology and Practice: Identifying the Change for Increased Value Creation with Customer Co-creation

Building customer relationships and customer equity is the prime concern in today’s business decisions. The emergence of internet, especially social media like Facebook and Twitter, changed traditional marketing thought to a great extent. The importance of customer orientation is reflected in the axiom, “The customer is the king”. A good number of organizations are engaging customers in their new product development activities via social media platforms. Co-creation, a new perspective in which customers are active co-creators of the products they buy and use, is currently challenging the traditional paradigm. The concept of co-creation involving the customer’s knowledge, creativity and judgment to generate value is considered not only an upcoming trend that introduces new products or services but also fitting their need and increasing value for money. Knowledge and innovation are inseparable. Knowledge management competencies and capacities are essential to any organization that aspires to be distinguished and innovative. The present work is an attempt to identify the change in value creation procedure along with one area of business, where co-creation can return significant dividends. It is on extending the brand or brand category through brand extension or line extension. This article, through an in depth literature review analysis, identifies the changes in every perspective of this paradigm shift and it presents a conceptual model of company-customer-brand-based co-creation activity via social media. The main objective is offering an agenda for future research of this emerging trend and ensuring the way to move from theory to practice. The paper acts as a proposal; it allows the organization to go for this change in a large scale and obtain early feedback on the idea presented.

The Internet of Things: Building a knowledge management system for open innovation and knowledge management capacity

New disruptive technologies in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT), especially, are changing the manner in which knowledge is managed within organizations, calling for a new and inventive knowledge management system and an open approach, to foster knowledge flows. This pattern expectedly should also enhance the development of internal knowledge management capacity, which in turn is a prerequisite of firm's innovativeness. In this context, the main goal of this research is to investigate the relationship among knowledge management system, open innovation, knowledge management capacity and innovation capacity. To reach this goal, the research employs structural equation modelling on a sample of 298 Italian firms from different sectors. The findings indicate that knowledge management system facilitates the creation of open and collaborative ecosystems, and the exploitation of internal and external flows of knowledge, through the development of internal knowledge management capacity, which in turn increases innovation capacity. The research further draws on its findings to identify significant scholarly and managerial implications, and to prescribe future research directions.

Beyond absorptive capacity in open innovation process: the relationships between openness, capacities and firm performance

ABSTRACTThe literature has shown that open innovation (OI) can be a winning strategy in improving firm performance. However, in order to adopt and implement it, managers need to resolve practical problems, such as understanding the role played by OI capacities and openness on firm performance. In response to these needs, this study aims to investigate the hierarchical relationships between openness, OI capacities and performance using a structural equation model approach. This paper also attempts to compare the levels of openness between firms in different industries to discover similarities and differences in OI phenomena. The analysis of data obtained from a survey of Korean firms shows significant interrelations between openness, OI capacities and firm performance. Our results go further in developing understanding of the building blocks on which successful OI is built and particularly suggest that desorptive capacity which underpins the out-bound OI process, is in turn strongly supported by knowledge management capacity. It is hoped that the results of this study can enrich our understanding of the OI mechanism and provide managerial and policy implications.

Workplace quotas

Purpose– This study aims to develop a theoretical model that specifies the most important factors hypothesised to facilitate reciprocal knowledge transfer between nationals and non-nationals in the context of workplace quotas.Design/methodology/approach– Expatriate labour is viewed as a form of contingent employment that provides firms with ready access to experienced and specialised knowledge. We argue that in a knowledge economy, the successful use of workplace quotas for nationals depends on effective management of both nationals and non-nationals. By drawing on scholarly contributions in the areas of strategic management, agency theory, knowledge management and absorptive capacity, this paper consolidates extant knowledge and proposes a new framework aimed at developing a more integrated agenda for future research.Findings– Three broad categories are posited as strategic enablers to effective knowledge management. First, senior leadership has a direct role in developing appropriate policies, promoting transparency and fostering a culture of trust and an indirect role through the establishment of incentives. Second, the influence of incentives on both knowledge management and process improvement is addressed. Third, the characteristics of each group with regard to qualifications, motivation and receptivity are discussed. Optimally, these factors work in concert to build competencies that ultimately satisfy customers and meet organisational goals.Originality/value– There is a gap in scholarly research that explicitly links important organisational and management concepts to the study of expatriate-national interactions. This article contributes to understanding how policy makers and leaders can strengthen the transformative forces that will drive successful development of human capital.

Examining Organizational Innovation and Knowledge Management Capacity The Central Role of Strategic Human Resources Practices (SHRPs)

This study was an effort to test the effects of strategic human resources practices over organizational innovation (exploration and exploitation) and knowledge management capacity of firms (knowledge sharing and knowledge application). Data were gathered across industries operating in Turkey (N = 109). Results from regression analyses emphasized that only certain practices in strategic human resources had predictive power of organizational innovation. Moreover, a similar pattern was observed between the strategic human resources practices and knowledge management capacity of firms. Overall, our findings spoke to the importance of compensation, training and performance appraisal systems as predictors of our dependent variables. Discussions, further suggestions and limitations are provided at the end.

Knowledge management practices and absorptive capacity in small and medium‐sized enterprises: is there really a linkage?

Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) are more vulnerable to globalization and rapid technological change due to their scarcity of resources. SMEs' absorptive capacity allows them to access knowledge and plays a key role in their ability to explore and exploit opportunities in their environment. Therefore, this study aims to identify and categorize knowledge management practices which SMEs can adopt to develop absorptive capacity. From a population of 4,534 Portuguese SMEs, 260 usable completed questionnaires were returned. We concluded that Portuguese SMEs are engaged in knowledge management practices, through collaboration with business partners, favoring learning processes based on experience, knowledge transfer to employees and knowledge absorption by employees, reflecting the importance given by SMEs to the tacit nature of knowledge which helps them in efficiency improvements, strategic adaptation, and the launch of new products and services. Our study contributes to advancing theory in the fields of knowledge management and absorptive capacity. We combine and extend previous research which allows us to reconcile the sometimes contradictory findings concerning knowledge management practices which SMEs can adopt to reinforce absorptive capacity. Some theoretical and practical implications are also presented.

Alliance strategy in an R&D energy sector project: a knowledge-based view perspective

This paper introduces a model for managing, transferring and protecting knowledge in alliance contractual research and in a development project between energy companies in developed and developing countries. This paper uses qualitative research conducted through a literature review, interviews, observations and an archival study. One finding of this research is that Pertamina, an energy company in a developing country, is attempting to increase its added value and competitive advantage by leveraging its resources and its unique knowledge through contractual alliances in research and development projects. The company's activities are divided into three phases. First was the pre-project phase, in which partners were selected based on the following factors: competence, capability, experience and expertise. In the project phase, the following innovation activities were performed: technology transfer, technology support in knowledge management, knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity. The post-project phase commercialised innovation based on knowledge and intellectual property rights and innovativeness.

Modelo para gestionar el conocimiento en el sector textil de Medellín, empleando dinámica de sistemas

This paper analyses the causal relation between knowledge management and technological innovation capacities and the effect of this relation over the operational results of the textile sector for the city of Medellin. In order to value the current state of the organizations in the sector in terms of knowledge ac­cumulation and capacities, a dynamic system methodology with scenario simulation for evaluating the actual conditions was used. The information was obtained through interviews with experts and access­ing specialized information on the sector. It is evidenced that an improvement in the relation between knowledge management and technological innovation generates and approximated increase of 15% over the operational revenue of the sector. Likewise, it was found that in the measure that common variables of interest (organizational strategies, communication channels, training, culture, actions for improving I + D) get closer to the desired values, the knowledge accumulation and the technical innovation capacities reach their goal values.