Factors that Contribute to the Success of Knowledge Management: An Empirical Investigation of Primary Activities of the Knowledge Chain Model

It is often claimed that knowledge management (KM) initiatives are important, even essential, to advance organizational performance. The main goal of such improvement is to make an organization more competitive in delivering values to its stakeholders. However, KM initiatives are of little value without a concrete plan that link KM activities to organizational performance. The Knowledge Chain model has been advanced as basis for understanding factors that contribute to the success of KM initiatives. This model identifies five primary and four secondary activities as focal points for an organization’s competitiveness. This paper uses the Knowledge Chain model as the theoretical base for an empirical study of the linkage between primary activities and approaches to competitiveness. It finds that every one of the five primary KM value adding activities can be performed in ways that improve organizational competitiveness in any of four ways: enhanced productivity, agility, innovation, and reputation.