Knowledge Management: The Case of Xerox (Published)
Recently, the concept of knowledge has been universally recognized as a critical source of achieving competitive advantage for organizations and as an extremely important intangible asset. In today’s complex, ever-changing and competitive environment, organizations are challenged in order to successfully manage a wide range of fluctuations, to continuously innovate and deliver value to their customers. To achieve all of the above, they must be open to new ideas and develop a clear understanding of the ways in which knowledge is created, transferred and applied within organizations. Knowledge has been approached as the understanding of a subject or phenomenon, on a theoretical or practical basis. Knowledge management (KM) has been frequently used in recent years as a scientific term, while it has been applied to a range of activity sectors and disciplines. The purpose of KM is to manage, create and enhance the knowledge and intellectual assets of organizations. The effective use of KM can provide a number of benefits to organizations, such as enhancing the quality of services provided, increasing the response time developing innovations, offering above the norm customer value etc. The development of organizational knowledge must be sufficient, so that it can diffuse within the organization and applied where it is needed. Knowledge is increasingly recognized as a critical, strategic resource of organizations. In this paper, secondary data were utilized in order to adequately fulfill the set research objectives developed by the researcher, based on the critical evaluation of existing knowledge. Secondary data was used, while the case study research technique was utilized to develop valuable lessons for the organizations. The organization studied (XEROX) is a rare case of successful implementation of KM and was chosen for this reason. The research objective was to conceptually clarify the concept of KM, link it to organizational performance and provide suggestions in relation to strengthening KM and consolidating organizational processes of knowledge development and transfer.
Keywords: Knowledge, Knowledge Management, explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge
Knowledge Management and Competitive Advantage in Selected Manufacturing Firms in Akwa Ibom State (Published)
This paper was designed to examine the relationship between Knowledge management and Organizational competitiveness. The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between knowledge management and competitive advantage in selected manufacturing firms in Akwa Ibom State. In line with the research objective was the research questions and hypothesis. Survey research design was adopted for the study and a sample size of 105 respondents were drawn from the population using census sampling technique. The major instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire administered to the respondent using stratified sampling techniques. The major instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire administered to the respondent using stratified sampling techniques. Data collected were analysed using simple percentage and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Results showed a significant positive relationship between each of the two dimensions of knowledge management (organizational learning, = Rx1 =0.799 amd Knowledge retention = Rx2 =0. 825**,) and organizational competitiveness at the selected manufacturing firms in Akwa Ibom State. It was recommended that, firm managers and knowledge management implementation members should incorporate organizational learning, knowledge retension, as part of Knowledge Management infrastructure capabilities in addition to culture, structure, and information technology in order to make their Knowledge Management infrastructure capabilities more robust.
Keywords: Knowledge Management, Knowledge retention, Organizational Competitiveness., Organizational Learning
The Role of Knowledge Management Processes in Organizational Performance Applied Study in the Cement Company of “Ain Touta” (Published)
This research aims to identify the correlation and impact between knowledge management processes and organizational performance. To achieve this, it is relied on the key knowledge management processes, i.e., (knowledge diagnosis, acquisition, generation, storage, distribution and application). Organizational performance is expressed by the following focuses: (Growth and learning, internal processes, customer focus). The research was carried out at the Cement Company of “Ain Touta”, province of Batna, Algeria. The necessary data were obtained by a questionnaire prepared for this purpose. Many statistical methods were used, including Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the correlation between variables, T-test to determine the significance of this correlation, regression analysis, F-test to determine the significance of the regression equation, and R2 to explain the effect of independent variables on the dependent variable (organizational performance). The findings of the study are identical to the hypotheses. It is found that there are significant strong correlation and effect on all the focuses of knowledge management processes with the dependent variable “organizational performance”, through which a set of recommendations are presented.
Keywords: Information and Communication Technology, Knowledge, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Management Processes, Organizational Performance
Factor Analysis of Strategic Management and Performance Variables in The Banking Sector in Oyo State, Nigeria (Review Completed - Accepted)
This research work factor analysed the impact of Strategic Management Variables (knowledge management, perceived environmental uncertainty, strategic agility and organizational learning) and Performance Variables in some selected selected banks in Oyo State of Nigeria. The study employed questionnaire to collect information from subjects who were bank employees of the selected banks in Oyo State. One hundred and six respondents responded to the questionnaire. This study found that strategic management variables were immensely associated with bank performance Based on the findings, it was recommended that there is a need for banks to work and improve their knowledge and learning base, endeavour to adapt to their environment and strive to be strategically agile so as to improve their performance and in the long run gain sustained competitive advantage
Keywords: Knowledge Based View, Knowledge Management, Organizational Learning, Organizational Performance, Strategic Agility, Strategic Management
Knowledge Management and Organizational Resilience in Nigerian Manufacturing Organizations (Review Completed - Accepted)
This study examines the relationship between knowledge management and organizational resilience. The sample for the study consisted of one hundred and twenty eight (128) employees from the thirty four manufacturing companies that are registered with the manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Rivers State Council. The study utilized both quantitative data (questionnaire) and qualitative data (interview). The spearman rank correlation coefficient and Multiple Regression Model using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15 were utilized for the analysis of data. Our finding revealed a positive and significant relationship between knowledge management and organizational resilience. Specifically, knowledge acquisition, knowledge storage, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization were revealed to have a positive and significant influence on organizational resilience. Based on this finding, it was concluded that knowledge management enhances organizational resilience. More specifically, it was concluded that knowledge acquisition, knowledge storage, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization enhances organizational adaptation, organizational resourcefulness, and organizational learning. It is recommended that organizations should continue to strengthen their knowledge management practices especially knowledge acquisition, knowledge storage, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization in their everyday activities as this is a sure guarantee for their resilience. The managerial implications of these findings were also discussed.
Keywords: Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Management, Organizational Adaptation, Organizational Learning, Organizational Resourcefulness