Essential Issues in Knowledge Management System Implementation: Lessons from Iranian It-based Companies

This article aims to review and identify critical factors of the implementation of knowledge management systems (KMS) for Iranian IT based organizations and clarifying the effect of KMS in organization success. The study determines several important factors affecting the implications of the knowledge management systems such as Motivation among KMS’s users and stakeholders, Flexibility and change management, Cohesion between KMS and organization structure, senior manager’s commitment and support, Knowledge sharing culture, etc. The study also then indicates that the factors have different priorities where managerial factors are in the highest priority and financial factors are in the lowest priority. We also perform factor analysis to summarize seventeen factors into six issues: Financial and information security, Technology and management, Senior management support and strategy, Acceptance, User's motivation and culture and Project management, Change management and training. The results of this study could be useful for knowledge management planners and managers in organizations and help organization planners, to plan based on these factors.