Culture effect on knowledge management adoption in Nigerian hospitality industry
| Pages | 314-332 |
| Published date | 13 August 2018 |
| Date | 13 August 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-11-2017-0080 |
| Author | Abel Usoro,Bridget Abiagam |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Knowledge management,Knowledge management systems |
Culture effect on knowledge
management adoption in Nigerian
hospitality industry
Abel Usoro
Department of Engineering and Computing,
University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK, and
Bridget Abiagam
Meevis International, Paisley, UK
Abstract
Purpose –The effect of culture on various aspects of life, business and disciplines such as knowledge
management (KM) has been much studied. Hospitality has also received much attention because it, among
others, can produce and redistributewealth whether in developed or developing economies,who often find it
as an invaluable means of generatingforeign income. Nonetheless, there is no combination of the three areas
in a single study done in a developingeconomy. The paper aims to fill this gap by investigating the impact of
cultureon the adoption of KM in the hospitality industry of Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach –Hofstede’s culture model and technology acceptance model were
used as underpinning theories to develop a research model which was operationalised into a 45-item
questionnaire. A five-point Likertscale that ranged from strongly disagree to strongly agreewas used. The
questions were closed-endedfor the variables of the model, but there were also open-ended questions. Two
Nigerian cities were purposely sampledand they generated 195 responses from the 400 questionnaires that
were distributed.Correlation analysis was first done to establish relationships before regressionanalysis was
performed after checking for multicollinearity. Findings and conclusions were drawn from significant
hypotheses.
Findings –The findings showed significant collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, femininity
and short- and long-term orientationsas factors that would affect adoption of KM in the hospitality industry
of Nigeria.Power distance and individualism as factors, on the other hand, were not significant.
Research limitations/implications –The research has produced a model that can form the basis for
future research. The studyapparently is the first and therefore needs replication in other industries and other
developing economies. A comparative study can be done too between developing countries or between a
developing and a developed country. Many replicated studies could perhaps produce a generic model that
would apply beyond Nigeria.Moreover, as this study is on a moving target both in termsof culture and the
extent of KM adoption,subsequent studies could update the findings of this study.
Practical implications –Hospitality managers have to develop and maintain a conducive culture if
adoption of KM is to be achieved. Managers should be sensitive to and take good advantage of cultural
differencesdisplayed in the personalitytraits of employees.For example, uncertaintyavoidance (preferencefor
precision) couldbe an asset to make knowledge explicit in computer systems,making it easier to share such
knowledge in the organisation. Collectivism and nurturing orientation would encourage knowledge sharing
and collaborative work, which is often nowadays done virtually. Managers should encourage knowledge
workersto seek and acquire both short-and long-term viewsof their work.
Originality/value –There apparentlyis no systematic empiricalstudy that combines KM, hospitality and
culture in developing economies’context. Thus, this study examinesthe effects of culture on KM adoption in
the Nigerian hospitality industry. The findings havepractical implications on how the Nigerian hospitality
industrycan benefit from the application of KM.
Keywords Culture, Nigeria, Knowledge management, Hospitality, Developing economies
Paper type Research paper
VJIKMS
48,3
314
Received1 November 2017
Revised16 February 2018
Accepted1 March 2018
VINEJournal of Information and
KnowledgeManagement Systems
Vol.48 No. 3, 2018
pp. 314-332
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5891
DOI 10.1108/VJIKMS-11-2017-0080
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5891.htm
Introduction
Literature is replete with research on knowledge management (KM) and its application in
different organisations (Chou and Hung, 2016;Chu, 2016;Marouf, 2017). Hofstede’s (1991)
culture model has also receivedmuchresearchattention(Lo et al., 2017;Khlif, 2016).
Current literature investigates hospitality business because it, among others, can produce
and redistribute wealth whether in developed or developing economies (Adeola and
Ezenwafor, 2016).
However, there appears to be no study that combines KM, hospitality and culture in
developing economies’context. Thus, this study examines the effects of culture on KM
adoption in the Nigerian hospitality industry. Hofstede’s (1991,2001,2003) culture model
and Davis’(1989) technology acceptance model (TAM) are the key underpinning theories
that are combined with KM concepts to perform the examination.The remaining part of this
paper will therefore present the background; culture and the development of the research
model; methods; demographics;reliability and validity; results; discussion; and conclusions,
recommendationsand areas for further research.
Background
Knowledge management
KM theories,practical applications andframeworks are still evolving(Giampaoli et al., 2017).
It is thereforenot surprising to observe variations in its definitions and diff erences of opinion
with regard to its scope, themes and even its epistemologies (Du Plessis, 2007). Existing
definitions generally refer to KM as the organisational effort, likely with the help of
information technology, to capture from any source or create, store and share useful
knowledge in a way that would enhance organisational performance and achievement of
goals. It can therefore be understood why KM is recognised as very important to modern
organisationsbecause of its positivecontributions (Choi and Jong,2010;Shujahat et al.,2017).
Hospitality industry,therefore, stands to benefit from the application of KM as explained
further in this paper.
Knowledge management in developing economies generally and Nigeria in particular
Though pioneered by industrialisedeconomies (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995), KM is a global
issue that concerns all organisations (Earl, 2001). While some organisations in developing
economies, such as South Africa and India, with some similarities to those in Western
countries have successfully adopted the current KM concepts (KMSSA, 2000 cited in
Ogunsola, 2008),most others have not (Ogunsola, 2008).
Only a few studies have examined KM in Nigeria. One of these studies proposes a KM
model for poverty reduction and agriculture (Nwafor and Salau, 2010;Krubu and Krub’s,
2011); this study is an empirical work for the application of KM on Nigerian educational
goals for the Nigerian universities in particular; the second study is on a mobile-based KM
system for an African tradition, and a prototype model was developed for the concept
(Folorunsho et al., 2010);and third is a master’s thesis that focuses on how organisationscan
improve on KM to enhance the flow of workand productivity by using a company in Nigeria
as a case study for the work (King and Iyoha, 2008). However,the findings of this single-case
study cannot be generalised for all Nigerianorganisations or even all hospitality businesses
in Nigeria.
Hospitality industry
Hospitality industry is not limited to hotels and restaurants but includes bars and other
kinds of institutions thatoffer shelter, food or both to people who are away from their homes
Nigerian
hospitality
industry
315
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