A hybrid framework for ranking the knowledge management solutions adoption in supply chains
| Pages | 1-19 |
| Published date | 14 October 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-06-2019-0090 |
| Date | 14 October 2019 |
| Author | Nima Golghamat Raad,Mohsen Akbarpour Shirazi |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
A hybrid framework for ranking
the knowledge management
solutions adoption in
supply chains
Nima Golghamat Raad and Mohsen Akbarpour Shirazi
Department of Industrial Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to select and rank the solutionsof knowledge management and apply them to
the supply chain for boosting its performance. Therefore, organizations can focus on the high-priority
solutionsand assign the resources to the strategies related to these solutions.
Design/methodology/approach –A decision making trial and evaluation laboratory-based analytic
network process method is first used to rank the barriers of implementing the knowledge solutions and
preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations technique is then used to rank the
knowledge-basedsolutions which improve the overall performance of the supplychain. Then, a mathematical
model is proposed to select the best solutions wherethe effectiveness and fairness are maximized while the
cost and risk are minimized. The proposed model is implemented over a dairy supply chain in Iran. The
solutionsare obtained using the literature and the experts’panel of the supplychain.
Findings –Lack of trust and commitmentof supply chain members, besides different interests, valuesand
cultures of the supply chain members, is the most challenging barrier to knowledge management solution.
Strengthening the cooperation culture in the chain,setting up a transparent workflow or open-door policy,
setting up enough incentives and reward and punishment and setting up positive leadership toward
knowledge management are the most important strategies for removing the existing barriers or decreasing
their impacton the supply chain.
Originality/value –Solutions with the highest priority are not necessarily the best solutions for
implementation;the requirements of organizations must also be considered.Mathematical model in this study
helped to selectsolutions based on their cost and risk, as well as their priority level.
Keywords DEMATEL-based ANP (DANP), Decision-making, Knowledge management,
PROMETHEE, Supply chain
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Knowledge management is a systematic approach to identifying, managing and sharing
information that provides the insights needed to update and transfer knowledge (Singh
et al., 2012). Knowledge managementis applicable in different areas. Supply chains are one
of the key areas in which knowledge management can be applied, as numerousindividuals
and organizations with different cultures, backgrounds, and management practices exist in
a supply chain that is want to interact with each other. If knowledge management is
implemented properly in a supply chain, the partners’knowledge will become consistent
and balanced, and knowledge transfer will occur properly. (Muñoz et al., 2015) Knowledge
sharing in supply chains is a critical issue because it increases productivity, reduces costs
and improves the strategic positionof the supply chain in the market. (Huang and Lin, 2010)
Knowledge
management
solutions
1
Received19 June 2019
Revised28 August 2019
Accepted31 August 2019
VINEJournal of Information and
KnowledgeManagement Systems
Vol.50 No. 1, 2020
pp. 1-19
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5891
DOI 10.1108/VJIKMS-06-2019-0090
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2059-5891.htm
Knowledge management solutions need to be implemented effectively to improve
knowledge sharing in the supply chain, but these solutions are generally difficult to
implement, and thereare many barriers to them (Li and Hu, 2012).
In the present study, a dairy supply chainhas been selected as a case study to verify the
performance of the proposed model because the role of knowledge management in such
supply chains is pivotal. The role of healthy and safe milk products in the health of the
community is undeniable. A safe milk product is the result of all the processes throughout
the food supply chain. Each process in the supply chain, including production, packaging,
transportation, and distributionof each product deals with information. To be fully tracked,
all necessary information, from raw material specifications to product sales, must be
collected and made available. At each stage, additional information must be gathered to
analyze and optimize manufacturing processes. An effective ICT infrastructure is essential
to establish communication between different companies and provide information for
product tracking. The process information of each step in the chain must be directly
available to identify potentialproblems quickly. Also, Web-based systems are necessaryfor
data processing, storage, and transmission, and also providing a flexible way to access,
share, and use the information.Implementation and integration of tracking systems require
a solid base of knowledge management. The complex process of implementing knowledge
management solutions in the dairy supply chain has many difficulties and barriers that
must be overcome.
So, the purpose of this research is to introduce the best solutions,tools, and techniques to
remove the barriers to knowledge management (KM) adoption in a supply chain (SC) or
lessen the negative effects of those barriers on the organizational knowledge sharing. With
the help of the proposed methodology, the managers can devote the budget of the
organization to a limitednumber of solutions and get the best possible outcome.
The rest of the article is organized as follows. In Section 2, a brief reviewis given of the
benefits of knowledge management, its application in supply chains and the common
barriers of applyingthe knowledge management solutions to the supply chains. In Section3,
the methodology of the research is described, which includes the decision making trial and
evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL)-basedanalytic network process (ANP) (DANP) method,
preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations II (PROMETHEE II)
technique and a multi-objective mathematical model, then the proposed methodology is
applied to a dairy supplychain in Iran to verify the effectiveness of the proposedmodel.
2. Literature review
The knowledge movement has speeded up over the past decade. Many academic experts
and practitioners have entitled“knowledge”a key competitive factor and the most valuable
and strategic assetof organizations and supply chains. In recent years,the pace of change in
advanced sciences and technologieshas increased very much, and the speed of innovation in
products has overtaken the speed of human learning. (Nevo and Chan, 2007) . On the other
hand, in today’s economy, competition is not only between companies but rather between
supply chains. Therefore, supply chains must be able to manipulate knowledge as an
important competitiveadvantage and outperform their rivals.
Processes are a series of sequential events that transform inputs into outputs using
resources such as time, energy, machinery,capital and human resource. (Merriam-Webster,
2017) The output of each level is the input of the next level, and the output of the last level
meets the main goal of the process. Knowledge management offers many processes that
ease the creation, expansion, sharing, codification, and application of knowledge, which
aims at improving the effectivenessin organizations (Rodrigues, 2016)(Deviand Jain, 2016).
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