Knowledge Management Scholars Research Articles

Understanding of the concept of knowledge management for knowledge management system implementation in two mobile telecommunication companies in Namibia

This study investigates the understanding of knowledge management (KM) for knowledge management systems (KMS) implementation for efficient KM practice in two mobile telecommunications (MT) companies in Namibia. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study employed convergent parallel design via parallel sampling techniques to gather insights. Three hundred and twenty-nine questionnaires were disseminated via online surveys using simple random sampling from 1,584 employees. The questionnaires returned were then accepted based on the comprehension of KM concepts for KMS implementation to introduce KM practice. Quantitative data was subjected to descriptive analysis using SPSS. Qualitative data underwent thematic analysis using Atlas TI. The findings of this study show that Namibia's two MT companies stand to gain significant advantages by implementing KM practices based on their understanding and implementation of KM. By enhancing their KM capabilities, these companies can leverage this organisational knowledge (OK) to drive innovation and adequately meet the demands of a fiercely competitive, knowledge-based society (KBS). This article is of significant value to KM scholars, professionals, decision-makers, and policymakers as an introductory guide to the comprehension of KM for KMS and how they can facilitate effective KM practices within Namibia.

Cultivating Communities of Practice: From Institutions to Practices

Abstract Where do communities of practice (CoPs) come from? What relationship do they entertain with institutions within or across which they develop? To what extent can institutions actually create CoPs? These questions are crucial, if only because of the benefits that CoPs are expected to bring, from innovation to learning to shared best practices. This article suggests that the most important relationship is between the CoP and its founding practice, which is ontologically prior to the CoP. The coming into existence of a CoP thus depends on the pre-existence of a founding practice and practical alignments. This argument counterbalances the two prevailing positions in the literature on CoPs, which focus on institutions instead of practices. In most IR literature on the topic, scholars have viewed CoPs as emerging “organically” and informally at the margins of institutions in a bottom-up fashion and from there often coming back to influence institutions bottom-up. Knowledge management scholars and institutional actors themselves have instead embraced a more agential and performative top-down approach by which CoPs can and should be cultivated to foster knowledge creation in business and international institutions alike. The article explores these positions with the help of examples drawn mainly from the European Union’s experience, including the Joint Research Centre’s attempt to cultivate CoPs from 2016 onwards.

Sharing economy research: a research agenda for knowledge management scholars

Purpose This paper aims to provide a research agenda for knowledge management (KM) scholars interested in the sharing economy. Design/methodology/approach A total of 342 articles published between 2012 and 2021 are analysed to identify the topics examined, how the sharing economy was conceptualized, the academic disciplines of authors and the methods used. Findings Based on the findings, research gaps and conceptualization issues relevant to KM scholars are discussed. Collaboration opportunities and methodological challenges are also identified. Originality/value By facilitating KM scholars’ engagement with the sharing economy, this paper contributes to a better understanding of this emerging phenomenon and helps uncover potential KM trends.

A Systematic Literature Review of Agriculture Knowledge Management in KM and non-KM Journals

This paper discusses the contrast in approach to agriculture knowledge management (AKM) empirical research between mainstream Knowledge Management (KM) scholars and scholars from non-KM fields, and the implications of this contrast to the development of AKM scholarship. The paper uses a systematic literature review, gathering papers from both mainstream KM literature and non-KM literature. A total of 44 peer-reviewed publications were analysed. Of these, 12 publications were from the mainstream KM literature while 32 publications were from the wider non-KM literature but had an agriculture knowledge management focus. While KM scholars predominantly conducted AKM research in structured, organized settings such as agriculture organisations and agri-business enterprises, scholars from non-KM fields, mostly agriculture, conducted AKM research in less formal settings, engaging farmers and local communities in research and exploring the indigenous knowledge that arises out of such communities. This contrast shows a disconnect in the studies conducted by the two groups of scholars. The disconnect is also reflected in the fact that the scholars from the different backgrounds do not cite one another and hence AKM literature does not have any coherent development. This paper offers an overall picture of the existing knowledge of AKM, and provides pointers for future AKM research.

The mediating effect of knowledge management on talent management and firm performance in small and medium enterprise in Uganda

PurposeThis study examines the mediating effect of an effective knowledge management (KM) in the relationship between talent management (TM) and organizational performance. This study was operationalized among the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from a sample of 260 SMEs business. The data collected was analyzed using correlations and hierarchical regression to test the mediating effect of KM on the relationship between TM and firm performance.FindingsThe findings show that KM mediates the relationship between TM and firm performance. They also suggest that TM contribute to enhancing performance through improvements in KM.Research limitationsThe sample used in the research is not representative of all the SMEs operating in Uganda. This limitation presents the challenge of generalising and we therefore suggest caution when interpreting the results. We note the challenge of a skewed sample. For instance, most of the respondents to our study were confined to tailoring and design and metal and fabrication sectors. The skewed sample is a notable limitation of the research. The study was limited to Uganda only hence it did not capture information relating to other geographical settings, which may limit the effectiveness of the findings therein.Practical implicationsBased on the findings of the study, the managers of the SME can use the study results to develop strategies and interventions that can enable their firms to improve on their performance even in the harsh economic environment through adopting positive practices such as KM.Originality/valueThis paper contributes by filling a gap in HR management and SMEs literature, in which empirical studies on the relationship between TM and firm performance have been limited until now. This may create better research opportunities for cross-disciplinary papers that should be done by human resource, small business management and KM scholars.

The Great Resignation: the great knowledge exodus or the onset of the Great Knowledge Revolution?

PurposeThe purpose of this Real Impact Viewpoint Article is to analyze the phenomenon of the Great Resignation from the knowledge management perspective.Design/methodology/approachIt applies the knowledge-based view of the firm to the notion of the Great Resignation, reviews the extant literature and relies on secondary data.FindingsThe Great Resignation has created numerous knowledge-related impacts on the individual, organizational and national levels. On the individual level, because of an accelerating adoption of freelancing, the future may witness an expansion of the category of the knowledge worker and a growing need for personal knowledge management methods and information technologies. Organizational effects include knowledge loss, reduced business process efficiency, damaged intra-organizational knowledge flows, lower relational capital, lost informal friendship networks, difficulty attracting the best human capital, undermined knowledge transfer processes and knowledge leakage to competition. Countries may also witness the depletion of national human capital.Practical implicationsManagers should learn how to use the available human capital more efficiently; realize the importance of universal succession planning programs; automate knowledge-centric business processes; facilitate knowledge-based IT initiatives by implementing self-functioning virtual communities, including enterprise social networks; restructure organizations to optimize intra-organizational knowledge flows; adjust strategies, products and target markets based on the available human capital; and create telecommuting conditions for people with disabilities who cannot be physically present. Knowledge management scholars are presented with a unique opportunity to convert the numerous theoretical insights accumulated within the boundaries of their discipline into practical application to facilitate the Great Knowledge Revolution.Originality/valueThis viewpoint offers managerial recommendations and inspires future Great Resignation investigations.

Customer knowledge hiding behavior in service multi-sided platforms

Hiding knowledge engenders economic losses. Customer knowledge is an external source praised by knowledge management scholars. Multi-sided Internet platforms become knowledge flow vehicles, nurturing customer knowledge. Knowledge hiding is widespread in services contexts impairing knowledge sharing. Firms need to integrate the knowledge-based customer experience to attain performance goals. Using social exchange theory and customer experience theory, we adopt a customer perspective to uncover the type of knowledge hidden and the motivations for customers to hide it on service multi-sided platforms. Combining narrative inquiry and critical incident technique we collected an original dataset of 51 narrative accounts of multi-sided platform users (Uber, Airbnb, and BlaBlaCar). We identify 10 major categories of hidden knowledge building on the identified critical incidents and five motivations to hide knowledge. The findings enrich the literature on knowledge hiding by providing the customer viewpoint. For practitioners, firms need to acknowledge customers’ knowledge hiding behaviors in multi-sided settings.

Career Development in Knowledge Management

AbstractThis is a SIG‐KM sponsored panel presented by members of the SIG‐KM officer team. First, the panel will overview their experience in knowledge management (KM) as scholars and scholar‐practitioners. They will briefly discuss their career development successes and hurdles as a roadmap for others to follow. Second, the panel will discuss career pathways for KM scholars and scholar‐practitioners in a global knowledge economy. Finally, they will hold an open discussion with audience members to share their experiences, expectations and hopes for the KM and the broader field of information science. [90 minute session].

A structured literature review of scientometric research of the knowledge management discipline: a 2021 update

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to conduct a structured literature review of scientometric research of the knowledge management (KM) discipline for the 2012–2019 time period.Design/methodology/approachA total of 175 scientometric studies of the KM discipline were identified and analyzed.FindingsScientometric KM research has entered the maturity stage: its volume has been growing, reaching six publications per month in 2019. Scientometric KM research has become highly specialized, which explains many inconsistent findings, and the interests of scientometric KM researchers and their preferred inquiry methods have changed over time. There is a dangerous trend toward a monopoly of the scholarly publishing market which affects researchers’ behavior. To create a list of keywords for database searches, scientometric KM scholars should rely on the formal KM keyword classification schemes, and KM-centric peer-reviewed journals should continue welcoming manuscripts on scientometric topics.Practical implicationsStakeholders should realize that the KM discipline may successfully exist as a cluster of divergent schools of thought under an overarching KM umbrella and that the notion of intradisciplinary cohesion and consistency should be abandoned. Journal of Knowledge Management is unanimously recognized as a leading KM journal, but KM researchers should not limit their focus to the body of knowledge documented in the KM-centric publication forums. The top six most productive countries are the USA, the UK, Taiwan, Canada, Australia and China. There is a need for knowledge brokers that may deliver the KM academic body of knowledge to practitioners.Originality/valueThis is the most comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of the KM discipline.

Entrepreneurs’ ingenuity and self-imposed ethical constraints: creating sustainability-oriented new ventures and knowledge

Purpose Ingenuity can be viewed as the use of creativity to develop innovation within constraints. The authors investigate how entrepreneurial ingenuity is enhanced by self-imposed ethical constraints, by using a case study of sustainability-driven technology enterprises in an emerging economy. The authors find that self-imposed ethical constraints can enhance entrepreneurial ingenuity because they encourage entrepreneurs to solve more complex problems as a result of considering the impact of the business on a more diverse set of stakeholders. The aim of this study is to show that while additional resources are normally considered an advantage, a dearth of resources can be a source of competitive advantage leading to ingenuity. By self-imposing ethical constraints, founders increase engagement of stakeholders who shape the firm’s industry toward greater sustainability knowledge. Design/methodology/approach The authors used semi-structured interviews which are typically the most important data source in the Gioia methodology because they provide both retrospective and present accounts by individuals experiencing the phenomenon of theoretical interest (Gioia et al., 2012). The authors focused on founders at each enterprise who had sufficient knowledge to speak comprehensively and authoritatively about their organizations. The goals of the semi-structured interview protocol were to focus on the research question, avoid the use of terminology that could lead interviewees in their answers and maintain flexibility to explore spontaneous themes during the interviews. Findings The authors examined the influence of entrepreneurial ingenuity on the creation of knowledge in an organization's environment. They defined entrepreneurial ingenuity as a type of organizational ingenuity (Lampel et al., 2014a, 2014b) and by focusing on the role of ethical constraints, examined the conditions under which it is influenced. They emphasized that ethical constraints warrant consideration in the knowledge management process (Rechberg and Syed, 2013) because they can stimulate entrepreneurial ingenuity. The authors also investigated the relevance of ethical constraints for founders of social enterprises in Brazil, an emerging economy of growing interest to knowledge management scholars. Research limitations/implications This study brings the following three main contributions. First, by incorporating the scope of social entrepreneurship, the research contributes to the perspective that both ethics and innovation can positively coexist within an organization while contributing to knowledge management creation and success (Borghini, 2005; Schumacher and Wasieleski, 2013). Second, the authors establish ethics as an important type of constraint that can spark ingenuity and help break through the constraints of bounded awareness for knowledge management (Kumar and Chakrabarti, 2012). Third, by highlighting the role of self-imposed ethical constraints, this study helps answer a recent call for research on “entrepreneurial actions that benefit others” (Shepherd, 2015, p. 490) addressing “What are the constraints that disable or obstruct an organization’s normal routines from alleviating human suffering?..It could be less about whether it is good or bad to ignore constraints and more about which constraints are ignored and which are abided by” (Shepherd, 2015, pp. 499, 501, emphasis added). Practical implications In this study, the authors show that entrepreneurs facing ethical dilemmas experience a unique cycle of equilibration, essentially throwing customary norms of equilibrium into disequilibrium. Treating ethics as both a lever and a constraint allows a more unique set of problems to be solved through knowledge management and entrepreneurship, so solutions to these problems can themselves become new sustainability-driven businesses. Social implications This study opens up several opportunities for future research. The authors conducted a study with five sustainability-driven enterprises from Brazil. New research may benefit from examining a larger number of organizations in other countries to investigate potential environmental differences that affect ingenuity and knowledge management. This study highlights the notion of ethical constraints as enabling mechanisms, and thus self-imposed ethical constraints merit a more systematic consideration as a key additional factor that may inspire disruptive innovation (Christensen, 2013), blue-ocean strategy (Kim and Mauborgne, 2004), as well as value-creation for stakeholders (Tantalo and Priem, 2016). Originality/value Resources are critical to both knowledge management and entrepreneurial activity and have been examined from numerous perspectives (Alvarez & Busenitz, 2001; Barney, Wright, & Ketchen, 2001; Moustaghfir and Schiuma, 2013). Entrepreneurs following a creation strategy depend less on accumulating existing knowledge and resources before beginning, and more on forming new knowledge or relationships that do not yet exist. They do this through a process of entrepreneurial trial and error (Alvarez & Barney, 2007, 2010). From a knowledge management perspective, individual knowledge sharing through both experimentation and learning by doing provide consistently high levels of knowledge sharing (Burns, Acar and Datta, 2011). This research emphasizes that constraints, such as limited resources and self-imposed ethical standards, can be a source of advantage leading to ingenuity and knowledge creation.

Innovative behaviour of knowledge workers and social exchange attributes of financial incentive: implications for knowledge management

PurposeEnhancing the innovative behaviour of knowledge workers is a main task in knowledge management. The pay-for-performance policy is one of the management practices for innovative behaviour enhancement and has been gaining popularity in the knowledge-intensive context. However, it is still uncertain whether such practice really enhances the innovative behaviour of knowledge workers. To address this issue, this paper aims to propose and verify a conceptual framework incorporating kernel notions of social exchange, psychological empowerment and work engagement rooted in the social cognition paradigm.Design/methodology/approachThe current study conducts a survey on 608 knowledge workers and their supervisors, validating the model structure and causal path pattern of the proposed framework. The causality is delineated from social exchange attributes of financial incentive, psychological empowerment and work engagement to innovative behaviour of knowledge workers.FindingsPerceived organisational support and perceived pay equity are primary antecedents of symbolic incentive meaning reflected in the financial incentive of the pay-for-performance policy. Symbolic incentive meaning comprising dimensions of relative position, control and personal importance relates positively to innovative behaviour of knowledge workers. Psychological empowerment and work engagement are partial mediators of the positive relationship.Originality/valueThe current study explicates why and how social exchange attributes of the financial incentive provided by the pay-for-performance policy may enhance innovative behaviour of knowledge workers. Implications are supplied to knowledge management scholars and practitioners to optimise the pay-for-performance policy for innovative behaviour enhancement.

Learning from complex and heterogeneous experiences: the role of knowledge codification

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to study organizational learning from complex and heterogeneous experiences. According to March (2010), this kind of high intellect learning is difficult to accomplish because it requires deliberate investments in knowledge transfer and creation. Zollo and Winter (2002) emphasized how knowledge codification can facilitate this process, as long as it is “well-performed”. However, knowledge management scholars have yet to explore what is meant by well-performed codification and how to achieve it.Design/methodology/approach– This paper addresses this gap and provides a conceptual analysis based on two related but previously disconnected research areas: organizational learning and knowledge management.Findings– This paper contributes to the literature in three ways. First, a new understanding of different types of experiences and their effects on learning is proposed. Then the codification process using a critical realist paradigm to overcome the epistemological boundaries of knowledge versus knowing is discussed; in doing so, it is shown that codification can take different forms to be “well-performed”. Finally, appropriate codification strategies based on experience type are identified.Originality/value– The abstraction-oriented codification outlined in this paper runs counter to the logic of concrete codification that dominates both theory and practice. Thus, going beyond the traditional debate on the degree of codification (i.e. should knowledge be fully codified or just partly codified), this paper introduced a new debate about the appropriate degree of abstraction.

Citation classics published in knowledge management journals. Part I: articles and their characteristics

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to develop a list of citation classics published in knowledge management (KM) journals and to analyze the key attributes and characteristics of the selected articles to understand the development of the KM discipline. Design/methodology/approach – This study identifies 100 citation classics from seven KM-centric journals based on their citation impact reported by Google Scholar and analyzes their attributes. Findings – The KM discipline is at the pre-science stage because of the influence of normative studies espousing KM practice. However, KM is progressing toward normal science and academic maturity. While the discipline does not exhibit the signs of the superstar effect, scholars from the USA and UK have made the most significant impact on the development of the KM school of thought. KM scholars should be more engaged in international collaboration. Practical implications – Practitioners played a key role in the development of the KM discipline and thus there is an opportunity to develop more scientific research approaches based on critical and performative research agenda. Originality/value – The study is novel and a must read for KM scholars because it is the first to comprehensively analyze the ideas that are the origins of the KM discipline.

Delineating knowledge management through lexical analysis – a retrospective

Purpose – Academic authors tend to define terms that meet their own needs. Knowledge Management (KM) is a term that comes to mind and is examined in this study. Lexicographical research identified KM terms used by authors from 1996 to 2006 in academic outlets to define KM. Data were collected based on strict criteria which included that definitions should be unique instances. From 2006 onwards, these authors could not identify new unique instances of definitions with repetitive usage of such definition instances. Analysis revealed that KM is directly defined by People (Person and Organisation), Processes (Codify, Share, Leverage, and Process) and Contextualised Content (Information). The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The aim of this paper is to add to the body of knowledge in the KM discipline and supply KM practitioners and scholars with insight into what is commonly regarded to be KM so as to reignite the debate on what one could consider as KM. The lexicon used by KM scholars was evaluated though the application of lexicographical research methods as extended though Knowledge Discovery and Text Analysis methods. Findings – By simplifying term relationships through the application of lexicographical research methods, as extended though Knowledge Discovery and Text Analysis methods, it was found that KM is directly defined by People (Person and Organisation), Processes (Codify, Share, Leverage, Process) and Contextualised Content (Information). One would therefore be able to indicate that KM, from an academic point of view, refers to people processing contextualised content. Research limitations/implications – In total, 42 definitions were identified spanning a period of 11 years. This represented the first use of KM through the estimated apex of terms used. From 2006 onwards definitions were used in repetition, and all definitions that were considered to repeat were therefore subsequently excluded as not being unique instances. All definitions listed are by no means complete and exhaustive. The definitions are viewed outside the scope and context in which they were originally formulated and then used to review the key concepts in the definitions themselves. Social implications – When the authors refer to the aforementioned discussion of KM content as well as the presentation of the method followed in this paper, the authors may have a few implications for future research in KM. First the research validates ideas presented by the OECD in 2005 pertaining to KM. It also validates that through the evolution of KM, the authors ended with a description of KM that may be seen as a standardised description. If the authors as academics and practitioners, for example, refer to KM as the same construct and/or idea, it has the potential to speculatively, distinguish between what KM may or may not be. Originality/value – By simplifying the term used to define KM, by focusing on the most common definitions, the paper assist in refocusing KM by reconsidering the dimensions that is the most common in how it has been defined over time. This would hopefully assist in reigniting discussions about KM and how it may be used to the benefit of an organisation.

The explicit dimension: what we could not learn from Polanyi

Purpose– This paper aims to clarify that the link between Michael Polanyi’s tacit knowledge theory and the field of knowledge management research does not withstand in-depth analysis. Second, the paper suggests a way to emerge from the ambiguity that unavoidably results from using the tacit knowledge concept in knowledge management studies.Design/methodology/approach– The paper begins with an analysis of the tacit knowledge theories developed by Polanyi, by cognitive psychologists and by knowledge management scholars. It goes on to formulate a new conceptual framework of tacit knowledge.Findings– This proposal consists in assuming that the terms “unconscious” and “tacit” are not interchangeable and, consequently, redefining the epistemological profile of knowledge management theory so as to acknowledge the existence of two planes of analysis. One is occupied by the process through which individuals gain knowledge, or the knowing process, which may be unconscious or conscious. The other contains the dichotomy between tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge, where the two terms indicate two alternative states that only consciously developed knowledge can adopt.Research limitations/implications– The paper provides support for the two-planes idea by referring to contributions from various disciplines, and particularly from cognitive psychology studies concerned with unconscious knowledge; a more thorough and extensive review would be needed, however, to fully demonstrate the proposal.Originality/value– Distinguishing between two planes of analysis makes it possible to unveil the mystery of tacit knowledge.

The place of communities of practice in knowledge management studies: a critical review

Purpose – Since its introduction, the notion of Communities of Practice (CoPs) has gained immediate popularity, especially among Knowledge Management scholars. The paper aims at reviewing the past and discussing what has been done. In particular the purposes are: to assess the importance of CoPs in the KM literature; to trace how this notion is defined and used, both in practical and theoretical terms; to classify the approaches used by KM research on CoPs; to discuss the results that research and practice in CoPs have led so far, the open issues, and the potential role of this notion in a future KM research agenda. Design/methodology/approach – The paper illustrates and discusses the findings of a systematic literature review on CoPs focusing on papers published in the most influential Knowledge Management and Intellectual Capital Journals. Findings – The study analyses 82 articles published in 12 different KM and IC leading journals from 1997 to 2012. Each article was examined to determine the following information: type of study; domain of application; research methodology applied and addressed topic. Emerging trends, open questions and further research needs are identified and discussed. In particular, an issue for researchers is the necessity to formulate an agreed definition of CoPs under the KM umbrella, which can also help to implement comparable empirical studies and to build theories that provide understanding of how CoPs can be managed. Practical implications – The outcomes of the review is particularly important for KM scholars dealing with CoPs, who can find suggestions for their future research. It can also provide food for thought to practitioners, by illustrating the state-of-the-art and prospects of this important organisational form. In addition, the paper highlights that, despite the huge amount of studies on this topic, the notion of CoP is still used in different ways and the specific experience of each company is difficult to generalise and transfer to other cases. Originality/value – This is the most up-to-date analysis of research on CoPs in its elective field of application that is Knowledge Management.

Client Knowledge Opportunities for a Small Software Firm

In global markets, firms should be connected to a p lurality of external actors to acquire knowledge for sustainable competitive advan tage. Over the last decade, knowledge management scholars have highlighted the opportunity to acquire a wide spectrum of knowledge from clients, not limite d to their characteristics and preferences. This opportunity is particularly evide nt, considering small software firms operating on commission, due to their interac tion with clients; at the same time, it represents a challenge for small companies , because the knowledge acquired from clients is usually context-specific a nd can become an opportunity.

Research paradigms of contemporary knowledge management studies: 1998‐2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the research paradigms of contemporary knowledge management studies in the past decade using citation and co‐citation analysis.Design/methodology/approachResearch in any academic area often clusters into informal networks that focus on common questions in common ways, and the accumulated knowledge often flows between members of these networks, revealed in patterns of citations. The research paradigms of a given field can be identified by analyzing corresponding knowledge flows and citation and co‐citation process. The methods used in the study include citation analysis, co‐citation analysis, and social network analysis.FindingsThe paper draws an intellectual map of knowledge flows between knowledge management scholars. Key research themes and concepts as well as their relationships in the field of knowledge management are identified.Research limitations/implicationsAn in‐depth analysis of the relationships between knowledge management research and industrial practices should be conducted in future in order to examine the impact of academic research on knowledge management and the management of knowledge accumulated in the practice.Originality/valueThe paper profiles knowledge management studies in the past decade and presents a solid foundation for a better understanding of different research paradigms in the area of knowledge management. It helps identify the invisible network of knowledge management studies that traces the evolution of knowledge management research, which thus provides a new perspective on knowledge management research.

Explaining and developing social capital for knowledge management purposes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the growing literature bridging social capital (SC) and knowledge management (KM). The paper seeks to identify the causal factors for this recent research into the connection between SC and KM, and also to explicate the relationship between the most relevant neo‐capital theories and KM. Further, the paper aims to argue that Granovetter's and Coleman's socially embedded understanding of market activity is the most relevant for examining the SC and KM interface. Finally, the paper seeks to offer guiding approaches drawn from SC literature for enhancing KM performance.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the SC literature from a KM perspective.FindingsFirst, interest in SC from KM scholars is driven by a number of inter‐linked causal factors. Second, SC is significant for KM purposes and can be understood as being complementary to and parallel with other intangible capitalisations, such as human capital (HC) and intellectual capital (IC). Third, there are a number of guiding notions that organisations can adapt to construct and enhance SC for KM purposes. However, SC processes are complicated and context‐dependent and therefore resistant to micro‐management and “one size fits all” prescriptions.Originality/valueThe paper examines the broader context of the SC and KM interdisciplinary meeting place. It argues for an “embedded” theoretical understanding of SC that is most relevant for KM performance, and also explicates the parallel nature of neo‐capital theories from a KM perspective. The paper also suggests a number of guiding approaches that organisations can adapt to analyse and develop their SC for KM purposes.

Exploring the antecedents of knowledge outcomes in organisational settings: an empirical study

This study aims to shed light on the antecedents of knowledge outcomes in knowledge-intensive organisations. Drawing on the works of knowledge management scholars such as Nonaka, Vittal, Chay and others, a model of the drivers of knowledge outcomes as well as a survey questionnaire were developed. 213 individuals from a knowledge-based organisation in Singapore were surveyed. The results of the study indicated that knowledge tools interact with the modus of knowledge combination to influence knowledge outcomes in terms of worker skills, competencies, market knowledge and client relationships. A discussion of future research directions using the proposed theoretical model concludes the paper.