Industry-level Knowledge Management and Knowledge Performance: An Alternative Perspective on KM Issues in Asia

Most knowledge management (KM) literature investigates diversified issues from the perspectives of an organizational and national level. While observing KM practices, especially in Asian nations, many KM occurs in industrial level and lead the knowledge activities in the whole industry. Hence, the primary purpose of this study is to explore the content of industry-level knowledge management (i.e., ILKM), how ILKM are practiced, and the impacts of ILKM on industry-level knowledge performance. This study, based on literature and KM practices, firstly classifies ILKM as four modes knowledge clustering, knowledge enlarging, knowledge exchanging, and knowledge initiating. This study then reviews some practical ILKM cases in Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan to verify the model and accordingly to categorize the ILKM activities of each mode. Besides, to investigate the effects of ILKM, this study constructs an 8-element Knowledge Performance Indicators (KPI), which consist of knowledge profundity, universality, growth, diffusion, diversification, convergence, transformation, and creation, as the criterion that test the criterion validity. The empirical study samples hi-tech industries in Asia for the survey. The statistical evidences, including LISREL, internal consistency, and correlation analysis, confirm the ILKM model and its effects on KPI. This study also provides suggestions and directions toward ILKM practices and researches for the future.