Organizational Knowledge Management Initiatives Research Articles

Can return on investment in knowledge management initiatives in organizations be measured?

PurposeThis paper focuses on the meanings attributed to the measurement of return on investment (ROI) in knowledge management (KM) initiatives in knowledge-intensive organizations. At the heart of this exploratory research is the introduction of a unique coherent perspective of discipline experts regarding the ROI metric, as part of their perception of assessing effectiveness in this field.Design/methodology/approachThe research begins with in-depth semi-structured personal interviews and continues with focus groups, as part of a qualitative research paradigm. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method, based on the grounded theory approach.FindingsThe findings provide empirical evidence regarding the significant challenges associated with the objective assessment of KM performance, which is deeply rooted in numerical-financial values. Despite the high status of ROI in the business environment, the authors find that decision-makers surprisingly avoid evaluating ROI for the most important resource of the organization, notwithstanding the immeasurable hopes that depend on this performance measure and the expectation of establishing the profitability of investment in organizational KM.Originality/valueThe uniqueness of this research is the adoption of the skeptical-critical research approach. For the first time, the authors interrogate the suitability and relevance of the general model of the ROI metric as a means of proving the value and contribution of well-managed knowledge to organizations. The authors call for adoption of a new integrative perspective for evaluating effectiveness, which will reflect the holistic set of KM in organizations.

Techniques for the identification of organizational knowledge management requirements

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the requirements of organizational knowledge management initiatives using requirements engineering techniques, identifying the optimal techniques configuration and serving as a management tool for knowledge engineers.Design/methodology/approachThe method is selection attributes. Knowledge management enablers are characterized and mapped with the coverage capabilities of requirements engineering techniques, using the attributes of the elicited object and a box-plot analysis. The information is gathered from 280 references, 32 companies and 16 experts in requirements engineering.FindingsRequirements of organizational knowledge management initiatives are got optimally by combining interviews, use cases, scenarios, laddering and focus group techniques. The requirements of structure and processes are more complex to identify, while culture requirements are the best covered.Research limitations/implicationsKnowledge management enablers are analyzed according to the current studies and comprehension of engineering techniques.Practical implicationsKnowledge engineers need to consider the coverage capabilities of engineering techniques to design an optimal requirement identification and meet the objectives of organizational knowledge acquisition initiatives. Requirement engineers can improve the requirements identification by a staged selection process.Social implicationsThe requirements of knowledge management initiatives that impact the community can be identified and traced to ensure the knowledge objectives. Requirements related to culture and people, like shared values, beliefs, and behaviors, are also considered.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study about formal requirement identification of knowledge management initiatives in the organizational context, providing the optimal configuration. A novel staged process is proposed for requirements engineering techniques selection, analyzing the enablers at component level and identifying the attributes associated with the elicited object.

Supportive Drivers of Organizational Knowledge Management: A Case Study from Egypt

The ability to manage efficiently the flow of knowledge has becoming a crucial requirement to boost the organizational learning and competitiveness along the knowledge era. However, a lack of consensus and confusion may still exist regarding what comprise the Knowledge Management (KM) and its importance to improve the overall organizational performance in Egypt. Moreover, there is generally a lack of an observable organizational KM initiatives’ progress in Egypt. This study highlights the significance of KM and explores the key drivers that can support organizational KM initiative in Egypt which requires organizational management and human orientation in terms of setting supportive human resource management, organizational culture and organizational structure. The study also alarms the attention to the various challenges that may hinder the successful implementation of KM initiative in Egypt. Based on the case study approach, this study sheds the light on a good model of IBM Egypt as a guidance supporting the crucial significance of KM for booming innovation and organizational performance.

ICT and knowledge management: perspectives from the SECI model

PurposeThe primary purposes of this paper are to understand perceptions regarding ICT use to support knowledge management (KM) and to identify suitable ICTs to support such initiatives. The aim is to study these objectives from the theoretical perspectives of the SECI model (i.e. socialization, externalization, combination and internalization).Design/methodology/approachA total of 100 working professionals who had prior KM implementation experiences participated in an online survey.FindingsThe authors found that survey respondents held positive attitudes towards the use of ICT to support different phases of the SECI model. It was also found that single ICT as well as varied combinations of ICTs were frequently used to facilitate the different phases of the SECI model.Research limitations/implicationsThe nature of this study may reduce the generalizability of its findings to other tasks or economic and cultural environments. Replication of this study in other contexts (e.g. other industries) would be extremely useful.Practical implicationsUnderstanding individuals' perceptions of ICT use as well as use of ICTs to support KM practices is important as it may affect the outcome of KM initiatives. Further, since spending on KM software and services are predicted to increase in the coming years, this research is therefore very timely.Originality/valueThis study systematically examines the use of single ICT as well as combinations of ICTs to facilitate different phases of the SECI model. This will contribute to an understanding of how ICT can be used to support KM initiatives in organizations.

Readiness as a Microfoundational Approach to Knowledge-Management

Over the years, many theories have noted that the core factor that acts as a barrier to successful knowledge management (KM) initiatives is attributable, in part, to the individual’s lack of readiness to change. However, a significant gap in the literature is the lack of empirical and conceptual support to the idea that KM is inherently a change effort affecting issues of how to enact change in individuals. More recent work, have highlighted that one of the reasons for this gap in the knowledge literature, is that majority of studies as a whole are usually pre-occupied with macro-level constructs stemming from forces at the organizational level. The study argues that readiness-for change is an important step towards understanding the micro processes of individual actions and interactions, because research in this area examines how change occurs from the individual’s perspective. Based on the literature, the paper presents a model to help us explore the micro processes of organizational KM initiatives. The study also builds on previous work of Foss (2007) explanation of microfoundations and integrates it with insights of Armenakis and Harris (2002) theory of readiness for individual change. A discussion is presented demonstrating future directions towards a microfoundational approach to KM.

A Multilevel Perspective of Tensions Between Knowledge Management and Social Media

In this article, we discuss the tensions that are perceived in organizations as the use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter challenge past approaches to knowledge management initiatives in organizations. We address these perceived tensions using a three-level conceptual framework: the macro- (organizational) level, the meso- (group) level, and the micro- (individual) level. In our discussion, we posit that perceived tensions arise when managers seek to maintain their traditional roles at the macro- (organization) level, yet social media affordances enable these roles to be performed at the micro- (individual level) and mesolevels. Shifts in the extent of the meso-level connections beyond the immediate organizational boundaries enable a wider community of practice than before. As a consequence, traditional management roles may give way to more flexible roles, with greater individual responsibilities for control and more sense-making and knowledge access taking place at the mesolevel. Our contribution is three-fold. In our article, we examine four key organizational factors (roles, ownership, control, and value) using a three-level conceptual model; associate the perceived tensions that arise in organizations with implicit shifts in these variables that accompany the use of social media; and suggest that shifts in emphasis in roles and control at each level can be instrumental in resolving perceived tensions as knowledge management efforts encompass social media.

Measuring employee readiness for knowledge management using intention to be involved with KM SECI processes

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the concept of knowledge management (KM) readiness using intention to be involved in the KM processes concept. These processes comprised of socialisation, externalisation, combination, and internalisation (SECI processes). The research also attempts to measure and validate the concept using data collected from the Sri Lankan telecommunication industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on the established KM SECI process measures adopted and adapted, instruments were administered using a survey research methodology approach on 313 executives working in the selected organizations in the Sri Lankan telecommunication industry. A confirmatory factor analysis technique was performed to verify and validate the measurement model of the intention to be involved in KM processes model. Based on the revised measurement model, the level of intention to be involved in the KM SECI processes within the industry was then reported.FindingsThe research finding provides the revised measurement model for employees' intention to be involved in KM SECI processes. All four variables of the intention to be involved in KM SECI processes emerged as significant and reliable measures for KM readiness. The finding also indicates the positive level of intention among the employees in the Sri Lankan telecommunication industry to be involved in KM processes.Originality/valueThe research provides a unique perspective of KM readiness, which is not much covered in the KM literature. The measurement produced can be used as a research tool for more exploratory and explanatory research in KM and, as an evaluative tool for employee readiness in ensuring the success of KM initiatives in organizations. The confirmed and validated set of measurement items can be used to measure the extent to which employees are ready to be involved with KM processes. Through the validated tool, more research can be conducted to explore the antecedents of such readiness perception.

Technological Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing among Academic Staff in Selected Malaysian Higher Educational Institutions and the Effect on Performance

The objective of this study is to expand our understanding of the factors that affect knowledge sharing among academic staff in Malaysian higher academic institutions. Although previous research has identified several factors that affect knowledge sharing, further research needs to be carried out to ascertain factors that affect knowledge sharing, in particular among higher academic institutions in Malaysia. Its relevance to higher academic institutions is especially pertinent considering that being a center of learning, a higher level of knowledge sharing among the teaching staff could bring about an increased level of productivity or performance and satisfaction in the workplace. The outcome of this study will enable further understanding on knowledge sharing behavior of academic staff and may therefore contribute towards successful implementation of knowledge sharing as part of organizational knowledge management initiatives. Based on non-random, criterion, purposive sampling, three higher academic institutions from the Klang Valley area were selected to be included in the study. Findings from 194 respondents indicated that the technological factors of distributed model and presence of IT for knowledge sharing are positively related to knowledge sharing and that knowledge sharing is positively related to performance.

Role of Knowledge Management Initiatives in Organizational Innovativeness: Empirical Findings from the IT Industry

This paper addresses the relationship between knowledge management initiatives in Indian IT organizations and their innovativeness at the organization level by using the survey research methodology. Knowledge management initiatives were measured in the context of cultural, structural, and technological interventions. Innovation was measured in terms of organizational behaviour related to sensitivity, learning, newness, trialability, communicability, risk-readiness, and absorption. A conceptual model was developed to assess the relationship between knowledge management initiatives and innovativeness. A hypothesis that knowledge management initiatives (KMI) influence the innovativeness of the organization was propounded. The questionnaire developed to assess knowledge management initiatives had 60 items, while an already available questionnaire consisting of 65 items was used to measure innovativeness. Eventually, the number of items in the knowledge management initiatives and innovativeness questionnaires was bought down to 45 and 34 respectively. Items were measured on a fivepoint Likert type rating scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The reliability of the questionnaires was checked using Cronbach Alpha. The study was carried out on 84 professionals from 20 Bangalore-based IT organizations that had implemented knowledge management initiatives and had SEI CMM level 5. Means and standard deviations of the variables were computed. The variables were subjected to correlation analysis and factor analysis. A multiple regression analysis was done to identify the influence of knowledge management initiatives on organizational innovativeness. An organizational innovativeness score, was used as the dependent variable and the variables of knowledge management initiatives were used as the independent variables. The results of data analysis showed that the initiatives taken by companies to enhance their knowledge assets fall into the culture, structure, and technology subsystems and that all the three are highly correlated: Technology and culture are more strongly associated with each other, as compared to their association with structure. All the three KMI variables strongly influence organizational innovativeness, with ‘culture’ being the most important. ‘Learning climate,’ a variable of culture, is found to be the most significant of the variables to influence innovativeness. Hence, organizations that lay emphasis on learning and provide excellent training facilities can foster a more innovative environment. Interestingly, ‘risk readiness‘ is not a factor contributing to innovativeness and is not significantly associated with the other variables. The variables like leadership, networking, reward and recognition, structure and technology do not significantly influence innovativeness.