Integrative role of KM infrastructure and KM strategy to enhance individual competence. Conceptualizing knowledge process enablement
| Pages | 376-396 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/VINE-02-2014-0014 |
| Date | 10 August 2015 |
| Published date | 10 August 2015 |
| Author | Pooja Kushwaha,M.K. Rao |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Knowledge management,Knowledge management systems |
Integrative role of KM
infrastructure and KM strategy
to enhance individual
competence
Conceptualizing knowledge process
enablement
Pooja Kushwaha and M.K. Rao
DoMS, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to explore knowledge management (KM) literature to understand further
the inter-relationship among KM infrastructure (KMI), KM strategy (KMS), KM process (KMP) and
individual competence (IC), which are considered very much essential for achieving a heightened
competence at an individual level. In the present scenario, knowledge intensive organizations are
striving highly to manage competitiveness for their survival in the market. The role of knowledge
capability is very much pivotal in ensuring the success of knowledge process implementation.
Design/methodology/approach – A methodical review has been carried out of empirical and
conceptual articles to justify the linkages among KMI, KMS, KMP and IC, particularly accessed through
sources such as Pro Quest, EBSCO host, Google Scholar and other e-databases. This review integrates
a conceptual framework to explore the relationship among the aforesaid constructs.
Findings – This study provides valuable insight into the role of KMI and KMS in enabling various KM
processes. It also contributes signicantly to organizations by helping them to integrate KM processes
so as to enhance IC.
Research limitations/implications – This paper provides helpful suggestions to drive the KMPs
by facilitating suitable congruence of infrastructure capabilities and KMSs within organizations.
Further, this study would also be helpful in enhancing IC along with organizational competence. Study
limitations are also discussed.
Originality/value – This paper contributes to knowledge and competence management literature by
adding the fact that KMI and KMS both precede KMP for better outcomes at an individual level.
Keywords KM strategy, Individual competence, KM infrastructure, KM process
Paper type Conceptual paper
1. Introduction
Knowledge plays a prominent role in today’s competitive environment where
organizations make regular efforts to compete with their rivals by offering modern
techno-savvy products and specialized services to the customer. Nowadays,
organizations are highly emphasizing on managing knowledge activities to keep track
on the latest trends, assess changing technological requirement and fulll the
customer’s expectations, which is possible through integration of knowledge efforts. In
the previous studies, this view has been widely supported by resource-based theory.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
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VINE
45,3
376
Received 24 February 2014
Revised 10 July 2014
18 March 2015
Accepted 21 April 2015
VINE
Vol.45 No. 3, 2015
pp.376-396
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0305-5728
DOI 10.1108/VINE-02-2014-0014
According to Barney (1991), organizations can lead to a long-term competitive
advantage by utilizing valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable resources. In
comparison to tangible assets, competitiveness depends more on intellectual assets
(Waychal et al., 2011). Since past few decades, knowledge management (KM) has been a
subject of keen interest for the scholars, and the quest to achieve competitive advantage
has caused the emergence of KM concepts and has drawn attention toward examining
the effect of knowledge practices and capabilities on organizational performance,
effectiveness and other outcomes. However, less attention has been given to understand
the impact of knowledge activities at an individual level. Previous researchers have
made signicant contributions to KM and competence management literature
(Delamare Le Deist and Winterton, 2005;Qiao and Wang, 2009;Szabo and Csepregi,
2011), but there remains a lack of clarity around some concepts of KM and individual
competence (IC), particularly determining how KM is benecial to IC and explaining the
linkages between them.
Managers are focusing on effective utilization of knowledge assets and managing
knowledge activities efciently to achieve competitive advantage and to accomplish
pre-determined organizational goal (Birkinshaw and Sheehan, 2002;Zyngier, 2006).
Knowledge resides within the individual in a tacit form, and it should be converted from
abstract ideas and conceptual dimensions to tangible devices and technological
equipment that help in sharing knowledge across various organizational entities and
develop competencies as well (Schlegelmilch and Penz, 2002). Organizations are facing
tough competition from rival organizations nowadays in managing a talented
workforce and maintaining a stable position in the market due to rapid changes in
technology and increased customer expectations. As a result, optimum utilization of
resources and managing core competencies has always been a topic of keen interest.
Apparently, managers are highly concerned to solve these issues by formulating
strategies and implementing plans in the present turbulent environment.
There are two major challenges of KM that are commonly noticed by the researchers.
First is how to increase knowledge workers’ performance and second is about achieving
and maintaining organizational competitive intensity (Chatti, 2012). Organizations
require a skilled workforce to deal with these issues. Further, human resource possesses
capability to think, analyze and take decisions by opting the best alternative to
overcome the problem. In fact, knowledge and skill distinguish people from other
resources. The human being is capable of deciding the criteria, methods and strategies
to use other resources on the basis of their decisive capability. However, human
intelligence and individual attributes drive the actions that help to organize resources
and manage workplace activities so that the organization can reap benets in the form
of product and services. Andreeva and Kianto (2012) recommend studying the linkages
between knowledge processes and its outcomes. Further, Ho et al. (2014) explored
culture and structure dimension as a KM enabler and suggested to study some other
dimensions of KM infrastructure (KMI) to foster KM processes (KMPs). In the light of
above directions and in response to the literature call to develop a better understanding
of the knowledge elements and its inuence on individual dimension (Mills and Smith,
2011;Ragab and Arisha, 2013), we propose a conceptual framework showing the
linkages of KMI and KMP, KM strategy (KMS) and KMP and KMP and IC. It also
attempts to nd the answer to how these linkages affect IC. The next section of the paper
presents an overview of KM and IC and depicts a conceptual framework representing
377
Integrative
role of KM
infrastructure
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