Evaluation of Electronic Knowledge Repositories

Knowledge is recognized as a vital asset in organizations. A large number of organizations are implementing knowledge management systems (KMS) in order to leverage their knowledge resources, a common form of which are electronic knowledge repositories (EKR). Since EKR implementation is costly, management needs to be aware of the factors that will make EKR more usable in order to reap benefit from its KM investment. This study formulates and tests theoretical models relating potential antecedent factors to the usability of EKR from the perspectives of both knowledge contributors and seekers. The findings of this study show that robustness, monitoring, and knowledge organization are positively related to EKR usability for knowledge contributors. For knowledge seekers, robustness, content, and knowledge organization significantly impact EKR usability. This study has implications for both knowledge management practitioners and researchers.