Knowledge Management Perspective Research Articles

Unveiling dilemmas and countermeasures in the green transformation of China’s real estate industry through the lens of knowledge management

Purpose Effective knowledge management has played a crucial role in propelling the green transformation of organisations and industries. Nevertheless, its underutilisation in the real estate sector has impeded the progress of green transformation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to offer a theoretical and practical analysis of the green transformation of the real estate industry through the lens of knowledge management and to provide a valuable reference to facilitate the industry’s green transformation. Design/methodology/approach This study entailed applying induction and deduction method, using China’s real estate industry as a typical case, and collecting and analysing the public data, corporate reports and literature of China’s real estate industry. On this basis, the authors conducted an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms through which the green transformation has empowered the sustainable development of China’s real estate industry, as well as the critical role of knowledge management. Findings The study has revealed that the primary challenges encountered by China’s real estate industry during the green transformation have stemmed from significant disparities in the knowledge base among different industry entities, the complexities related to knowledge integration and the “difficulty” of applying green knowledge across the entire life cycle. To address these issues, the authors recommend several strategic actions, including creating a dedicated green knowledge platform for the real estate industry, establishing a knowledge-sharing mechanism, enhancing knowledge acquisition on both the supply and demand sides and intensifying the focus on the application of green knowledge within the real estate industry. Research limitations/implications This research holds considerable theoretical and practical significance concerning the comprehension and promotion of knowledge management’s role in the green transformation of China’s real estate industry. These insights can be applied to significantly enhance the theoretical framework of knowledge management, and the research outcomes provide substantial support for propelling the green transformation in China’s real estate industry and contributing to the sustainable development of the overall economy in China. Originality/value From a knowledge management perspective, this study introduces a series of solutions and recommendations, presenting new research ideas and pathways for advancing the green transformation of the real estate industry. In addition to guiding the industry’s sustainable development, it also significantly contributes to enhancing the theoretical framework of knowledge management.

Semi-automatic Knowledge Graph Construction Based on Deep Learning

The paper studied course knowledge graph in teaching resources and curriculum knowledge management tasks from the perspective of knowledge management. Considering that the course of Python Language Programming itself has formed a relatively complete knowledge system and knowledge point structure, the paper adopted a top-down approach to build the knowledge graph. Firstly, the paper obtained different types of course-related corpus and data from different sources, and then constructed the ontology layer of Python programming course. At the ontology level, the paper defined the concept type, relation type and attribute type of the course domain respectively. Considering the completeness of knowledge points in the curriculum domain knowledge graph, the paper extracted all entities, relationships, attributes, and its values from the curriculum corpus using a semi-automatic extraction method that takes into account both accuracy and efficiency based on the modeling results of the ontology layer. Then they were transformed into triples in the form of < entity, relationship, entity > or < entity, attribute, attribute value > to build data layer of knowledge graph. Finally, visualization of triplet data was realized through Neo4j graph database.

Adapting to discontinuous technological change from the perspective of knowledge management: a case study from the lighting industry in Lin’an, China

Purpose This study aims to answer the question of how incumbent firms cultivate dynamic capabilities through knowledge management so that they can efficiently adapt to the changing external environment. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a case study approach and collects data through interviews and secondary public information on the lighting industry and two lighting firms in Lin'an, China. It qualitatively examines the challenges and strategic recommendations for incumbent firms in the context of discontinuous technological change from a knowledge management perspective. Findings Incumbent firms often face a variety of challenges when responding to discontinuous technological change. These challenges include identifying opportunities, overcoming path dependence and dealing with employee resistance to change. To overcome these difficulties, three strategies have been proposed to enhance the dynamic capabilities of incumbent firms through knowledge management: cross-border search helps firms improve their knowledge acquisition capabilities and better understand their environment to identify opportunities; building strategic leadership overcomes path dependence and improves knowledge integration capabilities; organizational learning deepens employees’ understanding of change and enhances organizational knowledge application capabilities. Research limitations/implications Previous research attributes a firm's ability to cope with discontinuous technological change solely to its general resources, which weakens the importance of knowledge management in this context. This study emphasizes the importance of knowledge as a crucial strategic resource in developing the essential dynamic capabilities for incumbent firms to cope with discontinuous technological change. Practical implications This study provides an in-depth analysis of incumbent firms' coping strategies in the new context of discontinuous technological change and further promotes cross-disciplinary research. Originality/value This study provides an in-depth analysis of coping strategies in the new context of discontinuous technological change, furthermore theoretically advancing the interdisciplinary research of firm transformation and knowledge management. Meanwhile, it is crucial to identify the preconditions for cultivating dynamic capabilities, especially from a knowledge-based view, which enhances the depth of knowledge management research.

How knowledge resources drive industrial chain carbon reduction: an analysis from the knowledge management perspective

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the role and advantages of knowledge resources in the carbon emission reduction of the industrial chain, and how it can be used to promote the carbon emission reduction of the industrial chain, so that the industry can better achieve the saving of energy and the reduction of emission. Design/methodology/approach This paper argues that the traditional resource-plundering industrial chain production method can no longer meet the needs of sustainable development of the green and low-carbon industrial chain, and builds the coupling and coordination of knowledge technology innovation drive and industrial chain carbon emission reduction mechanism, in the four dimensions of industrial chain organization, government support, internet support and staff brainstorming, put forward suggestions for knowledge resources to drive carbon emission reduction in the industrial chain. Findings This paper holds that the use of knowledge resource advantages can better help industrial chain enterprises to carry out technological innovation, knowledge resource digital platform construction, knowledge resource overflow and transfer, application and management of network information technology, so as to reduce carbon emission in industrial chain. Originality/value This paper contributes to the discussion about the high-quality implementation of the revitalization strategy of the industrial chain and also deepens research on the knowledge resource-driven carbon emission reduction of the industrial chain. Further, this paper enriches the role of knowledge resources in the industrial industry, and the theoretical results support the advantages of knowledge resource in the field of chain carbon emission reduction.

A destination’s personality as a factor in tourists’ environmental knowledge management

PurposeEnvironmental knowledge management (EKM) has been studied mainly owing to the increasing awareness of environmental issues. Such issues have generated a warning in the tourism industry that has stimulated a new wave of research on EKM. EKM forges landscape characteristics and so destination image. In turn, EKM sounds affecting tourism destination which calls for destination personality which shows a research context less explored. From a knowledge management perspective, The present research aims to investigate on EKM to understand how it leverages tourists' and destination personality.Design/methodology/approachWith the intent of exploring EKM, the research uses a quantitative analysis on a sample of 2,222 young Chinese tourists. In this context, EKM is linked with destination’s personality and tourists’ personalities, their satisfaction with the destination and their behavioral intentions.FindingsBy SPSS regression model, EKM and destination personality are positively linked. This positive relationship is also reflected on destination personality and destination satisfaction, behavioral intention.Originality/valueThe authors’ original contribution to the knowledge management literature extends the new wave of research on EKM. The research also proves the need to make a close collaboration between tourists, the local community and marketers. Marketers need to pay more attention to what tourists want to do and see in the place visited. In a nutshell, there is the need of enforcing and promoting EKM.

Disobedience, (dis)embodied knowledge management, and decolonization: higher education in The Gambia

AbstractIn this work, we sought to uncover the key strategies and challenges to the integration of Indigenous knowledge as knowledge management practices at a public university in The Gambia. It is often axiomatic in the literature that the incorporation of diverse epistemologies is a key resource for sustainable development; therefore, activities associated with the management of knowledge, particularly in higher education, are worthy of elucidation. We discovered that knowledge management activities at a university in The Gambia were often informal and required the invisible work of faculty. It was through the implicit use of tacit knowledge and epistemic disobedience that faculty were able to build upon a colonized curriculum that denied the presence of other knowledge. However, in the end, faculty were dependent on the power of referents within and without the institution to formalize their knowledge management practices. This work fills an essential gap in the extant literature on how the work of university faculty and managers, when situated within a knowledge management perspective, can contribute to decolonization and foster sustainable development.

Interactive impact of transformational leadership and organizational innovation on online knowledge sharing: a knowledge management perspective

Purpose As knowledge management increasingly becomes critical for the success of professional service firms, this paper uses social exchange theory to investigate the interactive impact of transformational leadership and organizational innovation on online knowledge sharing by employees in professional service firms. This study aims to investigate the mediating roles of job autonomy and job engagement in this process. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a survey of 350 frontline employees in professional service providers, including banking, telecommunication and insurance. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Findings The results show that transformational leadership positively affects job autonomy, which in turn has a positive impact on online knowledge sharing through job engagement. Thus, job autonomy and job engagement mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and online knowledge sharing. Finally, organizational innovation moderates the relationship between transformational leadership and job autonomy. Originality/value This paper extends the knowledge management literature by studying the impact of transformational leadership on the online knowledge-sharing behavior and exploring the focal roles of job autonomy and job engagement in online-sharing behavior in professional service firms. The findings also provide useful implications for practitioners to help them engage employees in the adoption of digital technologies to optimize outcomes.

Research on cross-city emergency management collaboration mechanism in major emergencies: insights from a knowledge management perspective

Purpose Based on the perspective of knowledge management, this study aims to discuss how to build cross-city emergency management collaboration mechanism in major emergencies and explore the important role of knowledge management in emergency management collaboration. Design/methodology/approach Based on the theoretical analysis of knowledge management and the typical case study of cross-city emergency management collaborative rescue, this study provides an in-depth analysis of how these cities achieve high emergency management performance through multidimensional and multilevel knowledge collaboration, thus revealing the mechanism of knowledge transfer, integration and sharing in achieving high emergency management performance. Findings Through analyzing typical cases, this study finds that building a smooth mechanism for multichannel emergency rescue information can promote the diversification of knowledge transfer methods, building a platform-based integration mechanism for emergency rescue information can enhance knowledge integration capabilities and building a linkage mechanism for emergency rescue materials between cities can promote knowledge-sharing level, thereby improving emergency management performance level. Research limitations/implications This study has great significance for how to build cross-city emergency management collaboration mechanism in the digital era. In the future, the authors need to further discuss the following two aspects in depth: research on the impact of cross-city emergency management collaboration mechanism on improving the knowledge management capabilities of government emergency management departments; and research on the impact mechanism of knowledge management capabilities on city resilience. Originality/value Through case analysis of cross-city emergency management collaborative rescue for major emergencies in China in recent years, this study proposes three specific strategies for cross-city emergency management (smooth, integration and linkage mechanisms) and reveals that these three strategies are essentially aimed at improving the government’s knowledge management level.

Understanding tacit knowledge loss in public enterprises of South Africa

Orientation: South African state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are facing a perpetual struggle of institutional tacit knowledge loss, which poses a risk to these entities and threatens their sustainability. The research project endeavoured to tackle these challenges from knowledge management (KM) and human resource management (HRM) perspectives and proposes a plethora of integrated knowledge-driven HRM processes to mitigate risks associated with loss of tacit knowledge.Research purpose: The study provides an integrated understanding of the issues relating to the causes of enterprise tacit knowledge loss and extent to which there is recognition of company knowledge loss in selected SOEs in South Africa.Motivation for the study: There is limited research that provides an integrated approach to tacit knowledge loss from KM and HRM standpoints.Research approach/design and method: The exploratory sequential mixed-methods research design was used in this study. In the qualitative phase of this research, data were collected from the annual reports of the SOEs and unstructured interviews with 20 purposively selected human resource (HR) managers, which was subsequently analysed thematically using ATLAS.ti software. The quantitative data from 145 out of 585 respondents were analysed statistically using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS).Main findings: The study revealed that organisational tacit knowledge loss is largely caused by voluntary and involuntary employee turnover and a lack of retention strategies. This adversely affects the knowledge base and the knowledge absorptive and protective capacities of the SOEs.Practical implications/managerial implications: The study concludes that the journey for ensuring effective knowledge transfer and retention of valuable enterprise knowledge starts with the appreciation of knowledge as a key firm-specific strategic issue.Contribution/value-add: This study offers an integrated understanding of the causes of tacit knowledge loss for effective management in SOEs researched interdependently from KM and HRM perspectives.

Digital transformation and innovation ambidexterity: perspectives on accumulation and resilience effects

PurposeDigital transformation (DT) is among the vital factors contributing to innovation ambidexterity, especially for advanced manufacturing firms (AMFs). However, the empirical studies on the relationship between DT and innovation ambidexterity in AMFs from the perspective of knowledge management are inadequate. Therefore, this study aims to systematically analyze the impact of DT on innovation ambidexterity and its mechanism of action.Design/methodology/approachThis study selects 254 listed firms within the ten key areas of “Made in China 2025,” as they occupy a key position in China’s advanced manufacturing system. Based on the knowledge-based view (KBV) and contingency theory, it constructs a model of the influence mechanism of DT on innovation ambidexterity.FindingsThe results show that the DT of AMFs positively influence innovation ambidexterity. External pressure from environmental turbulence enhances the positive relationship between DT and innovation ambidexterity, demonstrating the “resilience effect,” external knowledge search (EKS) and broadening the knowledge base mediating roles between them, highlighting the “accumulation effect.”Originality/valueBy identifying this mediation mechanism of DT and innovation ambidexterity, this study provides new ideas for path research on the KBV. Moreover, this study explores the triggering effect of market environmental turbulence on the DT of firms. It reveals the boundary conditions of DT acting on innovation ambidexterity, expands the research perspective on organizational resilience and enriches the theory of power change.

Knowledge Management Perspective of Generative Artificial Intelligence

In this editorial, revisiting Alavi and Leidner (2001) as a conceptual lens, we consider the organizational implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) from a knowledge management (KM) perspective. We examine how GenAI impact the processes of knowledge creation, storage, transfer, and application, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges this technology presents. In knowledge creation, GenAI enhances information? processing and cognitive functions, fostering individual and organizational learning. However, it also introduces risks like AI bias and reduced human socialization, potentially marginalizing junior knowledge workers. For knowledge storage and retrieval, GenAI’s ability to quickly access vast knowledge bases significantly changes employee interactions with KM systems. This raises questions about balancing human-derived tacit knowledge with AI-generated explicit knowledge. The paper also explores GenAI’s role in knowledge transfer, particularly in training and cultivating a learning culture. Challenges include an over-reliance on AI and risks in disseminating sensitive information. In terms of knowledge application, GenAI is seen as a tool to boost productivity and innovation, but issues like knowledge misapplication, intellectual property, and ethical considerations are critical. Conclusively, the paper argues for a balanced approach to integrating GenAI into KM processes. It advocates for harmonizing GenAI’s capabilities with human insights to effectively manage knowledge in contemporary organizations, ensuring both technological advances and ethical responsibility.

Links Between Risk Source Identification and Resilience Capability Building in Agri-Food Supply Chains: A Comprehensive Analysis

Agri-food supply chain (AFSC) resilience is receiving increasing attention as AFSC stakeholders perceive its benefits in recovering from unexpected disruptions. However, which resilience capabilities are more effective in mitigating AFSC risks remains unclear. To address this gap, this article presents a novel AFSC risk and resilience analysis based on a systematic literature review (SLR). In total, 95 journal articles on AFSC risk and resilience management published between 2004 and 2020 are analyzed to identify key risks and resilience capabilities in AFSCs, the relationships, correlations and causalities between them, and research gaps and future research directions in the field. Our SLR reveals eight types of AFSC risk and seven types of AFSC resilience capability, and enables us to develop a one-to-one resilience-risk correspondence model. Suggestions for future research include: cross-country comparative analysis to gain a deeper understanding of risk and resilience management; identification of risk and resilience strengthening strategies through a multi-sectoral approach; longitudinal studies to determine the long-term effects of resilience capabilities; research to understand resilience from the perspectives of supply-chain collaboration, traceability, redundancy, knowledge management, innovation, leadership, and flexibility; investigations of the positive effects of AFSC risks in triggering resilience capabilities; and cross-disciplinary research to understand the relationships between resilience and other disciplines.

Knowledge Management Perspective of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

Knowledge Management Perspective of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

Human capital in knowledge-based firms: Re-creating value post-pandemic

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: In today’s volatile business environment, the competitive advantages of firms are temporary. The top management does not, and cannot, have all the answers to increasingly complex and rapidly changing problem situations facing their firms. Since the COVID-19 crisis, organizations have been under pressure to improve their knowledge management practices to continue creating value. Knowledge management capabilities are essential for business performance and competitive advantage. In order to ensure continuous value creation, we conducted research to identify various drivers and dimensions that were revitalized in the ongoing KM practices post-pandemic. METHODOLOGY: In this study, 81 research papers published between January 2010 and March 2022, have been examined from a knowledge management, human capital, and value creation perspective, aiming to understand how a firm can continue to create value before, during, and after the pandemic. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: Our review identifies critical factors in knowledge management and value creation and how companies generate value by leveraging KM during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the research, the authors describe their findings in the form of a conceptual framework which deals with the various drivers and the factors within the KM architecture.

Arabian Gulf Academic Libraries’ Knowledge Representation Practices, Perspectives and Barriers

Knowledge representation through metadata is crucial to successful knowledge management and ensuring access. Libraries, especially those associated with universities and colleges, have been long engaged in important activities of developing, adapting, implementing, and managing descriptive and administrative metadata, bibliographic authority control, etc. A substantial amount of research exists in knowledge representation practices of libraries that operate in North America and Western Europe. However, some other regions of the world, in particular the Arabian Gulf region which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, are currently underrepresented in this research. The exploratory project presented in this paper aimed to address this gap with the goal of developing an understanding of the current state of knowledge representation (including descriptive metadata practices, identity management, use of knowledge organisation systems, and more) in academic libraries of Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, as well as plans and preparedness of these institutions and their staff for future developments in this area to facilitate discovery of resources, specifically in the aggregated digital environment. The qualitative study used semi-structured interviews of metadata managers at a representative sample of regional university libraries. The findings provide insights into this previously under-researched area and contribute to understanding of related knowledge management barriers and perspectives on a global scale. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Online Sharing Mechanism of Teaching Resources from the Perspective of Knowledge Management

With the rapid development of network technology, online sharing of teaching resources has gained widespread attention in the educational field. This sharing not only provides educators and learners with rich learning resources but also opens up new channels for knowledge innovation and dissemination. However, it remains a major challenge to efficiently manage, allocate, and evaluate these resources. Existing research methods often rely too heavily on traditional knowledge management theories and overlook the characteristics of online environments. This research aimed to study and propose a new online sharing mechanism for teaching resources from the perspective of knowledge management. This study provided a new theoretical framework and practical strategy for online sharing of teaching resources by completing the knowledge management system based on the TransCat model, introducing the online sharing algorithm of Double Deep Q-Network (DDQN), and using the resource effectiveness evaluation considering knowledge potential differences.

A meme-based approach for knowledge mining, organization, and presentation of traditional Chinese settlement culture

Traditional Chinese settlements are successful examples of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Traditional Chinese settlement culture (TCSC) is the product of its inhabitants' adaptation to the natural and social environment and has national cultural originality and transmission. Core cultural elements of these being chosen to stay can be considered as memes. This study considers traditional Chinese settlement cultural memes (TCSCM) as a special kind of knowledge, and proposes a meme-based approach to mine, organize, and present traditional Chinese settlement cultural knowledge from a knowledge management perspective. This approach is composed of identifying memes, constructing the memes ontology, and the memes knowledge graph, mainly describing and establishing the memes identification index system, the ontology conceptual framework, and knowledge graph construction rules. In addition, the feasibility of the above work is verified by a case study of Jinggang Ancient town in Hunan province. This study provides new practical ideas for the authentic conservation and industrial construction of TCSC.

The differential effects of human resource management on organizational innovation: a meta-analytic examination

PurposeThis meta-analytical review aims to clarify the relationships between three bundles of human resource management (HRM) practices—competency-enhancing, motivation-enhancing and opportunity-enhancing—and organizational innovation by addressing two questions: (a) Which types of HRM bundles are most strongly related to different forms of innovation (i.e. process and product innovation)? And (b) Which mechanism provides a stronger explanation for the positive effects of HRM bundles on innovation?Design/methodology/approachBased on data from 103 studies, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively summarize existing HRM–innovation studies at the organizational level.FindingsThe results showed that the competency-enhancing bundle was more positively related to product innovation than the motivation-enhancing and opportunity-enhancing bundles. The opportunity-enhancing bundle was most strongly associated with process innovation. The authors further found that knowledge management capability (KMC) and employee motivation mediated the positive relationship between the three HRM bundles and innovation outcomes. In comparing the two mechanisms, this review suggests that KMC better explains both the impact of the competency-enhancing HRM bundle on product innovation and the effect of the opportunity-enhancing bundle on process innovation.Originality/valueBased on behavioral and knowledge management perspectives, this study takes a sub-bundle approach to providing an integrative review by comparing the direct effects and mediating paths of HRM bundles on product and process innovation.

Supply chain partnership and innovation performance of manufacturing firms: Mediating effect of knowledge sharing and moderating effect of knowledge distance

Affected by complicated issues, such as regional conflicts, trade wars, and the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing firms face enormous challenges in reconstructing the global supply chain landscape to form new cooperative innovation mechanisms. This study investigates the relationship between supply chain partnerships (SCP) and innovation performance (IP) from a knowledge-management perspective. A multi-factor conceptual model of this relationship was proposed, considering the mediating effect of knowledge sharing (KS) and the moderating effect of knowledge distance (KD). SCP is measured in three dimensions: trust relationship (TR), commitment relationship (CMR), and contractual relationship (CTR). IP is measured in two aspects: technological innovation performance and management innovation performance. An empirical study was conducted to test the hypotheses using data from 417 valid questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were applied to test the hypotheses. The results demonstrate that (1) KS plays a significant mediating role in how SCP impacts IP and that the indirect effect of TR through KS on IP is greater than that of CTR or CMR. (2) KD between supply chain partners plays a significant negative moderating role between KS and IP; that is, the smaller the KD, the higher the IP achievable through sufficient KS. These findings shed new light on building collaborative innovation mechanisms for supply chain management.

Exploring knowledge management from a software engineering perspective

Context: The knowledge domain of software engineering (SE) gradually expands due to fast emerging technologies and complex organisational processes. The software industry represents a special focus of interest from a Knowledge Management (KM) perspective, as it is characterized by high employee turnover, a high level of outsourced projects, and an accelerated pace of technology innovations. Knowledge management can substantially influence SE knowledge's life cycle, contributing to better structuring of organisational processes of knowledge creation, knowledge transfer, and knowledge sharing. Reflecting on the trends for SE automation with artificial intelligence tools, KM approaches can enable companies and professionals to reconsider the future of SE work. Purpose: The present research aims to identify and investigate how implementing knowledge management principles and processes within the software engineering domain can facilitate the future transformation of software-related jobs. Based on a conceptual model, built upon the literature review, the paper analyses the quantitative data, collected from 91 software experts. Evaluating the impact of both organizational and domain types of SE knowledge, the discussion evaluates the unique value-adding SE processes along with models of how to explore AI applications to automate the SE domain. Results: The outcomes of the analysis identify the models of structuring knowledge management processes in SE both within the technological domain and organisational layers. The discussion section establishes suitable KM methods and approaches for supporting SE job transformation. It identifies the main knowledge management integration practices, demonstrating how combining KM with AI-based innovations may change the SE knowledge flow, improving substantially SE activities like onboarding new team members, monitoring software documentation, version control, and error tracking.