Knowledge Management System Success Research Articles

Methodologies for developing knowledge management systems: an evaluation framework

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a criteria-based evaluation framework for assessing knowledge management system (KMS) development methodologies. Design/methodology/approach – The evaluation criteria have been elicited based on the features expected from a successful KMS. Furthermore, a number of prominent KMS development methodologies have been scrutinized based on the proposed evaluation framework. Findings – It was demonstrated that the proposed evaluation framework is detailed and comprehensive enough to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of KMS development methodologies. It was also revealed that even though the evaluated methodologies possess certain strong features, they suffer from several shortcomings that need to be addressed. Research limitations/implications – The evaluation framework has not been applied to all existing KMS development methodologies; however, the evaluation does cover the most comprehensive methodologies which exist in the research context. Practical implications – The results of this research can be used for the following purposes: organizational goal-based selection of KMS development methodologies, evolution of existing KMS development methodologies and engineering of tailored-to-fit KMS development methodologies. Originality/value – The proposed evaluation framework provides a comprehensive and detailed set of criteria for assessing general, area-specific and context-specific features of KMS development methodologies. KMS developers can select the methodology which best fits their requirements based on the evaluation results. Furthermore, method engineers can extend existing methodologies or engineer new ones so as to satisfy the specific requirements of the project at hand.

Factors Influencing the Knowledge Seekers in Adopting the Knowledge Management System (KMS)

One indication of KMS success is when the knowledge seeker actively access the knowledge stored within the system’s repository. Unfortunately, studies that specifically designed to provide more understanding about the behavior of the knowledge seeker with regard to their acceptance of KMS are still quite rare. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the behavior of knowledge seeker(s) in KMS acceptance. A research model for this study was developed using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and the data was collected from 125 knowledge seekers from three companies in Indonesia. By utilizing the Squares Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques with Smart PLS V2 software, the results of the statistical analysis confirmed that there is a positive correlation between the factors of management, effort and social relationship and the intention of knowledge seeker(s) in KMS acceptance. However, the correlation between the benefit factor and the intention of knowledge seeker(s) in KMS acceptance was not found.

Prioritization of Critical Success Factors in Knowledge-Management Using the AHP Method

Abstract. Knowledge Management (KM) plays an important role in today’s enterprise management and implementation of KM takes a considerable time and resources from the organization. Therefore, it is essential that critical success factors (CSFs) of KM are identified and prioritized. According to what was said, the main purpose of this paper is: Identification and prioritization of CSFs in the KM in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Iran. According to this objective, two steps are provided: in the first step the authors initially use a related topic of CSFs in KM implementation, which aims at identifying and investigating factors that result in more successful KM systems implementation that generate higher levels of value for organizations. By integrating insights drawn from these studies, the authors proposed a set of 12 CSFs which is believed to be more suitable for SMEs. Then, in the second step, these factors will be prioritized by analytic hierarchy process (AHP).

Leadership Social Power as a Component of KMS Success

This study investigated the relationships between a leader's of Leadership Social Power (LSP) profile and Knowledge Management Systems (KMS). Previous research has established that KMS success is positively impacted by leadership commitment to KMS, knowledge quality, and knowledge use. Yet how little we know about the constructs of leadership that may impact KM. The goals of this research focused on discovering how the manner in which leaders exert power – their LSP profile – influenced each of these KM success factors. This research was able to empirically demonstrate that LSP is a factor of that success and was able to effectively predict Leadership Commitment to KMS, Knowledge Content Quality, and Knowledge Use based upon predominate manner of Leadership Social Power used by the KM leaders.

Critical Success Factors of Knowledge Management System in Vietnam

Knowledge management plays a very important role in business operation, especially in the efficient exploitation of information or knowledge resources through technology. Technology provides the basic tools for implementing and improving the efficiency of knowledge management activities within an enterprise. To understand the relative influence of various factors in improving knowledge management systems, this study used data from 92 Vietnamese enterprises having knowledge management systems. The study identified a number of important factors directly affecting the success of knowledge management system in Vietnam enterprises. Based on the results of this study, the authors gave several recommendations for Vietnam enterprises in the development and application of knowledge management systems, and suggested future studies.

A Critical Review on the Various Factors that Influence Successful Implementation of Knowledge Management Projects within Organizations

Knowledge Management (KM) is currently one of the hottest concepts in all industries. Driven by pressures such as increased competition, the need for innovation, need to improve quality of products and services and availability of new and effective information management tools, firms are increasingly investing in technology and humans with the aim of leveraging intellectual assets. Numerous scholars have shown that knowledge is an important resource to a firm as it contributes to successful organizational performance if well managed. This paper critically explores the various factors that influence successful implementation of knowledge management projects within organizations. A review of literature on the factors that influence success and failure of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) implementation projects is conducted. This is followed by a summary of the crucial managerial and technological factors that support a successful performance of KMS implementation project. To understand this issue better, the paper derives qualitative data on National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) related to the subject matter. NTPC is an Indian power generation company and it is one example of firms that have implemented KMS recently. Content analysis is applied on the data and a detailed outline of the implementation approach undertaken by this company is given. The challenges encountered during the process, the technology adopted and the benefits derived from the project are also examined. The analysis of this company finds that the KMS project has encountered numerous challenges and some of the challenges have come from failure to incorporate some of the crucial factors in the implementation process such as the use of motivational aids. Organizations need to incorporate all crucial factors during implementation process and to find strategies to overcome the challenges in order to increase value of the project.

Knowledge Management Practices in Pakistan’s Telecom Services Sector

Employee turnover has become a serious problem in knowledge-intensive industries such as telecommunications, where the resulting knowledge loss affects process safety and quality. This study examines knowledge management practices in Pakistan’s telecom sector and argues that the impact of knowledge loss could be mitigated through knowledge management. Based on a structured questionnaire administered online to a sample of telecom operators in Pakistan, the results indicate the absence of knowledge management as a strategic response to knowledge loss. Nonetheless, the presence of a young, educated workforce, a strong cooperative culture, and sound ICT provision could be leveraged to build successful knowledge management systems in this sector.

Encouraging knowledge sharing in engineering firms—part II: game theory analysis and firm strategies

Encouraging knowledge sharing is the cornerstone of a successful knowledge management system. This paper follows an earlier study that identified incentives and disincentives for knowledge sharing between individual employees in engineering firms and developed contingent assumptions that the contextual factors of firm size and task repetitiveness impact these dynamics. This paper expands on these results using game theory modelling and analysis. Research on intra-organizational knowledge sharing requires an understanding of why and when individuals are willing to share their knowledge; as a result, game theory modelling is ideal for modelling these dynamics and deriving knowledge-sharing strategies. Based on the modelling results, a set of contingent strategies for encouraging knowledge sharing are developed. The results of this study shed light on the knowledge-sharing interactions between individual employees and develop strategies for firms to more efficiently and effectively encourage the sharing of v...

Encouraging knowledge-sharing in engineering firms—part I: incentives, disincentives, and the impacts of firm context

Knowledge management (KM) is critical for organizations to capitalize on organizational knowledge and gain competitive advantage. Encouraging knowledge-sharing is the cornerstone of a successful KM system. However, the effectiveness of different strategies for knowledge-sharing may be contingent on different firm characteristics, which often affect how individual employees interact. The objective of this research is to add to the emerging literature of KM by deriving a contingency view of how to effectively promote knowledge-sharing. Since the sharing of knowledge closely relates to the competitive and cooperative relationships between employees, we adopted the game theory for modelling. This study consists of two parts. In Part I of this paper, we identify critical incentives and disincentives for knowledge-sharing between individuals as well as firm contextual variables that may affect these incentives through the case study method and literature review. These results add to our existing knowledge about...

Contextualizing organizational interventions of knowledge management systems: A design science perspective

We address how individuals’ (workers) knowledge needs influence the design of knowledge management systems (KMS), enabling knowledge creation and utilization. It is evident that KMS technologies and activities are indiscriminately deployed in most organizations with little regard to the actual context of their adoption. Moreover, it is apparent that the extant literature pertaining to knowledge management projects is frequently deficient in identifying the variety of factors indicative for successful KMS. This presents an obvious business practice and research gap that requires a critical analysis of the necessary intervention that will actually improve how workers can leverage and form organization-wide knowledge. This research involved an extensive review of the literature, a grounded theory methodological approach and rigorous data collection and synthesis through an empirical case analysis (Parsons Brinckerhoff and Samsung). The contribution of this study is the formulation of a model for designing KMS based upon the design science paradigm, which aspires to create artifacts that are interdependent of people and organizations. The essential proposition is that KMS design and implementation must be contextualized in relation to knowledge needs and that these will differ for various organizational settings. The findings present valuable insights and further understanding of the way in which KMS design efforts should be focused. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Predicting Attitudes Toward Knowledge Sharing by E-Mail: An Empirical Study

Social influence factors in sharing knowledge by e-mail are important issues in developing and understanding successful knowledge management systems and human–computer interaction. This article investigates important factors in shaping attitudes toward knowledge sharing by e-mail, based on social influence theory and self-determination theory. An empirical test of the proposed model using an online survey was conducted with a sample of undergraduate college students who use group e-mails for class assignments (n = 566). All social influence factors significantly influenced attitudes toward knowledge sharing by e-mail (R 2 = .57). Information systems researchers and practitioners will be able to more fully understand the roles of social influence factors in developing and designing knowledge management.

시스템·지식 품질, 조직지원, 개인특성이 지식관리시스템 성공에 미치는 영향 -연구조직을 중심으로-

지식관리시스템(KMS)이 조직 내에서 확산되게 됨에 따라 효과적 활용방안에 대한 관심도 증가하고 있다. 본 연구에서는 연구조직을 대상으로 시스템 지식 품질, 조직지원, 개인특성이 KMS의 성공에 미치는 영향에 대한 실증적 연구를 시행하였다. 실증연구의 결과는 시스템 사용, 사용자 만족, 유용성 지각 등으로 측정된 KMS의 성공에 가장 큰 영향을 미치는 변수로는 KMS의 시스템 품질(system quality)인 것으로 밝혀졌다. 즉 시스템의 사용자들이 유용성을 인식하고 만족스럽게 사용하기 위해서는 시스템이 사용자들에게 편리하게 활용할 수 있도록 잘 설계되는 것이 매우 중요한 요인이다. 또한 KMS성공요인들 중에는 사용자 만족과 유용성 지각이 시스템 사용의 선행요인이라는 것도 밝혀지고 있다. 끝으로 사용자의 개인적 요인인 조직기반 자기존중감이 독립변수인 영향요인과 종속변수인 KMS의 성공 간에 조절역할을 하는 것도 구명되고 있다. 이 연구는 연구조직에서는 지식관리시스템의 활용빈도를 높이기 위해서는 시스템의 사용이 연구자 친화적으로 설계, 운용되는 것이 매우 중요한 요인이라는 시사점을 주고 있다. This research aims at investigating the factors determining the success of knowledge management system(KMS) in research organizations. Based on the literature survey and the general framework of IS success model, a new comprehensive model which is customized to the context of KMS is proposed. Some organizational support factors and an individual personality variable that moderates the relationship between predictors and the success factors are also integrated to the new model. A proposed model was tested by the technique of structural equation modeling using survey data from the employees in research organization. The results revealed that KMS quality had the strongest impact on the KMS success measured by perceived usefulness and user satisfaction and KMS use. The moderating effect of an individual personality factor, organization-based self esteem is also founded in the research.

Knowledge Organization in Knowledge Management Systems of Global Consulting Firms

Organizing knowledge is essential for corporations to have an effective and successful knowledge management system. This study investigates how consultants in global consulting firms organize corporate knowledge. The major findings are: knowledge organization is not separate from other components of a knowledge management system, but instead holds all other knowledge management components together; metadata with attributes and facets is created when consultants submit knowledge pieces to a knowledge management system; a standard template for describing a knowledge piece exists in each firm in this study; the knowledge organization part of consultants’ work is similar to librarians’ work in organizing information.

Knowledge retention in the IT service industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and evaluate an effective employee retention plan for information technology (IT) service organizations as part of a knowledge management (KM) strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe employee retention plan is evaluated at three IT multi‐national companies which are providing global IT services with successful knowledge management systems (KMS) in place. Semi‐structured telephone interviews were conducted with senior managers and team leaders of three companies. The data collected is used for studying attrition and retention and its impact on KM.FindingsThe paper provides evidence of various strategic, technological, and local issues influencing the success of retention and its benefit to KM programs in global IT service companies. Organizations adapt attrition control measures for long‐term benefit. These measures help in effective KM, serving the client at lower cost with consistent service levels.Research limitations/implicationsInterviews are limited to three large companies in the IT services sector in the Bangalore (India) region. Future in depth studies would benefit from a larger and more diverse sample. It is suggested that IT service organizations develop and practice effective employee retention plans along with effective KMS.Practical implicationsTo provide clear benchmarks for developing employee retention capabilities, an employee retention plan for IT services is proposed. The employee retention plan is discussed from a consistent delivery perspective and in view of effective KM practice.Originality/valueThe paper conducts an evaluation of the retention measures and provides a roadmap for future research endeavors.

Personal Knowledge Abilities and Knowledge Management Success

Knowledge management success is a hot issue in SMEs. It is obvious that several important factors must be considered for successful implementation, but most small and medium firms have no idea what factors should be considered most heavily. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to expand the base of knowledge in that area, and empirically test the relationship between personal capabilities within SMEs and knowledge management system success. Six factors related to personal capabilities were measured: ambition, skills, behaviour, tools and techniques, time management and personal knowledge. The results of the study indicate that there is a significant relationship between these factors and knowledge management system success.

Organizational Culture and Knowledge Management Success at Project and Organizational Levels in Contracting Firms

This research focuses on contracting firms within the construction sector. It characterizes and evaluates the composition of organizational culture using four culture types (clan, adhocracy, market, and hierarchy), the strategic approach for knowledge flow, and the success of knowledge management (KM) systems at different hierarchical levels of contracting organizations (project and parent organization level). Responses from managers of local or overseas contracting firms operating in Hong Kong were collected using a carefully constructed questionnaire survey that was distributed through electronic mail. The organizational value is analyzed in terms of the four cultural models. Clan culture is found to be the most popular at both project and organization levels, which means that the culture of contracting firms very much depends on honest communication, respect for people, trust, and cohesive relationships. On the other hand, hierarchy culture, which focuses on stability and continuity, and analysis and control, seems to be the least favored at both levels. Another significant finding was that the two main KM strategies for knowledge flow, codification and personalization, were employed at both project and organization levels in equal proportion. This indicates that successful KM efforts at both enterprise levels utilize a hybrid and balanced approach for their knowledge flow, and that they complement each other. The findings also revealed that knowledge management system success factors emphasize the support of the management level. The results show that KM is critical and beneficial as indicated by 64% at the project and 74% at the organization level. The expectation is higher for organizations as they are the organizational memories in which experiences of past projects are archived and connected. Understanding these factors and the relationships among them has been demonstrated to be critical in order to increase the chances of success or to help with making decisions when applying KM.

Social capital, IT capability, and the success of knowledge management systems

Many organizations have implemented knowledge management systems to support knowledge management. However, many of such systems have failed due to the lack of relationship networks and IT capability within organizations. Motivated by such concerns, this paper examines the factors that may facilitate the success of knowledge management systems. The ten constructs derived from social capital theory, resource-based view and IS success model are integrated into the current research model. Twenty-one hypotheses derived from the research model are empirically validated using a field survey of KMS users. The results suggest that social capital and organizational IT capability are important preconditions of the success of knowledge management systems. Among the posited relationships, trust, social interaction ties, IT capability do not significantly impact service quality, system quality and IT capability, respectively. Against prior expectation, service quality and knowledge quality do not significantly influence perceived KMS benefits and user satisfaction, respectively. Discussion of the results and conclusion are provided. This study then provides insights for future research avenue.

How reward, computer self‐efficacy, and perceived power security affect knowledge management systems success: An empirical investigation in high‐tech companies

AbstractIn a highly competitive environment, high‐tech firms utilize capital‐intensive facilities, technology‐intensive products, and computer applications for gaining competitive advantages. It makes employees acquire more knowledge to perform more complex tasks. This has resulted in an increasing demand for organizations to implement knowledge management systems (KMS) for employees to steer organizational learning in the new era of knowledge‐based economy. However, prior empirical examinations on factors influencing KMS success are not sufficient, particularly in the high‐tech context. This study formulates and empirically tests a theoretical model to explain these factors and how they affect KMS success. Results from a sample of 141 employees selected from four high‐tech semiconductor manufacturing firms provide us a more comprehensive understanding about how benefits, self‐produced, and costs factors (i.e., reward, computer self‐efficacy, and perceived power security) affect KMS success. It can be seen that reward and perceived power security have both direct and indirect effects on user satisfaction and intention to use KMS through perceived usefulness and ease of use. Moreover, computer self‐efficacy influences user satisfaction and intention to use KMS through perceived usefulness and ease of use. Besides providing directions for development and testing of knowledge management theories, these findings will be valuable to practitioners.

How knowledge map fit and personalization affect success of KMS in high-tech firms

The shift from a product-based to a knowledge-based economy has resulted in an increasing demand for organizations to implement knowledge management systems (KMS) at an accelerating pace. However, factors influencing success of KMS have seldom been empirically examined by prior research, particularly how knowledge map fit and personalization influence employee satisfaction with KMS, which is a surrogate measure of the success/effectiveness of information systems (IS). Results from a sample of 133 employees, mostly from four international high-tech companies in the Hsin-Chu Science-based Industrial Park in Taiwan, help us better understand what factors affect employee satisfaction with KMS. The result shows that KMS with a higher level of knowledge map fit and personalization will satisfy employees directly or indirectly through the mediation effects of increased perceptions of ease of use and usefulness of KMS. Our findings could serve as useful references for researchers and practitioners interested in investigating issues related to the successful implementation of KMS.

Knowledge Management Systems Diffusion in Chinese Enterprises

With the recognition of the importance of organizational knowledge management (KM), researchers have paid increasing attention to knowledge management systems (KMS). However, since most prior studies were conducted in the context of Western societies, we know little about KMS diffusion in other regional contexts. Moreover, even with the increasing recognition of the influence of social factors in KM practices, there is a dearth of studies that examine how unique social cultural factors affect KMS diffusion in specific countries. To fill in this gap, this study develops an integrated framework, with special consideration on the influence of social cultures, to understand KMS diffusion in Chinese enterprises. In our framework, we examine how specific technological, organizational, and social cultural factors can influence the three-stage KMS diffusion process, that is, initiation, adoption, and routinization. This study provides a holistic view of the KMS diffusion in Chinese enterprises with practical guidance for successful KMS implementation.