Identifying Subcultures and their Perceptions towards Knowledge Management Systems

Knowledge and culture are inextricably linked in organizations. Effective deployment of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) requires an understanding of the culture of the knowledge workers in the organization and their perceptions towards such systems. It would be a mistake to perceive the organization as a homogenous culture. Instead, organizations are composed of multiple subcultures that co-exist and interact with each other, with each subculture having its distinct set of values, norms and work practices. Based on a survey of 230 knowledge workers in Singapore about their work environment and practices, this study first investigates the subcultures that exist among knowledge workers and then analyzes how each subculture perceives the various features in a KMS. Data collected were subjected to cluster and discriminant analyses and four distinct subcultures emerged from this study, namely (1) Conformists, (2) Craftsmen, (3) Technocrats and (4) Artists. Further analysis revealed that there is a highly significant effect of subcultures on how user perceives KMS features. Understanding subcultures and their perceptions towards common KMS features is crucial as it guides organizations when planning and designing new features for their KMS.