Knowledge Management: Literature Review

The objective of knowledge management is to enhance organizational performance through explicitly designing and implementing tools, processes, system, structures and cultures - Long and Fahey (2000).

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Knowledge management (KM) has attracted significant consideration from both: academics and companies. Although the origins of the knowledge management are not very clear, the concept started being used in Europe around 1988. Namely, the first studies relate to knowledge emerged as a result of the Internet emerging. Especially since 90s, knowledge management has received considerable attention in the management literature considering knowledge a basic economic resource and workers with knowledge skills playing a central role in the firm.

Spek (1994) defines knowledge management as activities that focus on the development and control of knowledge in an organization to fulfil organizational objectives, acquiring importance the technology as impact on information content management. Three years later, knowledge management is defined as: “the explicit control and management of knowledge within an organization aimed at achieving the company´s objectives (Spek and Spijkervet, 1997) and the ability of organizations to manage, store, value and distribute knowledge by Liebowitz and Wilcox (1997).

Organization and knowledge start getting involved (Omona et al. 2004). Knowledge management is included in a newly emerging, interdisciplinary business model. It deals with all aspects of knowledge within the context of the firm: creation, codification, sharing, learning and innovation. Although some aspects of these processes related to knowledge are facilitated with information technologies, the organizational culture and practices play a significant role. In this sense, knowledge management is defined as the process of capturing, distributing and effectively using knowledge (Davemport and Prusak, 1998; Ponzi and Koening 2002). One of the most used definitions

During the 2000s, the objective of knowledge management is to enhance organizational performance through explicitly designing and implementing tools, processes, system, structures and cultures (Long and Fahey 2000). Shankar (2003) explored that knowledge management creates long term competitive advantage.

Some studies use diverse strategies contingency to identify interrelationships among knowledge characteristics, integration, organizational learning, knowledge management capability and innovation (Akram et al. 2011). Innovating firms have a need for knowledge management, this relationship has been widely acknowledged as further articules will show.