Journal
JOURNAL OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Volume 24, Issue 8, Pages 1859-1880Publisher
EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1108/JKM-10-2019-0553
Keywords
Performance; SMEs; Spain; Knowledge management; Organizational learning; Knowledge management processes
Categories
Funding
- 2016 Emerging Group Project of Vice-President for Research and Knowledge Transfer at the University of Cantabria
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it aims to analyze the individual influence of different knowledge management practises (KMP) on firm performance. Second, it aims to analyze the mediating role of organizational learning (OL) between each KMP and performance. Design/methodology/approach A telephone-survey was applied in 2018 to the managers of 400 Spanish firms. The data retrieved was analyzed by using multiple regression analysis. Findings Knowledge generation (KG) and knowledge flow (KF) promote firm performance, while there is not a direct association between knowledge storage and performance. OL mediates the relationship between KG and performance, as well as between KF and performance. Research limitations/implications First, this research confirms that not all the KMP have a direct effect on firm performance, thus, future research would need to differentiate between different KMP. Second, this paper is pioneering in providing empirical evidence that OL mediates the KMP - performance relationship. Third, the empirical study was performed in a context non-researched yet by the literature considering KMP individually: Spain. Practical implications First, besides the results managers should focus their efforts in practises related to KG and application. Second, OL mediating suggests that managers should invest in managerial commitment to promote a shared culture, shared vision, open-mind to new ideas and a lot of dialogue. Originality/value This is the first study that investigates how KMP contribute to firm performance by incorporating the mediating impact of OL. The results will help organizations to identify the KMP improving the performance.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available