This article reports the findings of the first phase of a longitudinal research project on knowledge management (KM) practices in the South African business sector. The overall objectives of the research are to describe prevalent knowledge management practices, to identify patterns and trends, and to develop knowledge management benchmarking and strategic management tools for the business sector. During the first phase of the project a data collection and analysis instrument for a recurring survey of knowledge management practices was developed and verified. The statistical verification of the instrument was based on a pilot survey of seventy-four respondents representing fifty-three companies in the South African industry, using one-way analysis of variance, cross-tabular chi-squared tests and principal component analysis. The data collected during the pilot survey was considered to be sufficient for a first order analysis of KM practices. The survey tested respondent perceptions on six factors scored by aggregation from 24 indicators. The selection of the factors and indicators was based on a KM reference model developed for the purpose of the research. The findings indicated clear patterns of organisational performance related to the factors of the model. The patterns corroborated to a large extent the published findings of research on KM practices in industrialised countries. This provided the confidence to use the preliminary findings as the basis of hypotheses to guide the further phases of the project.
Knowledge is at present recognised as a company's most valuable asset and strategic resource in the creation of a competitive advantage. The ability and capacity to manage this recently accentuated intangible asset is fast becoming the most emphasised and critical executive skill for the management of a knowledge-based enterprise. The action-oriented and changing characteristics of knowledge place it in the context of innovation, analysis, synthesis, creativity and value judgement. This study explores the possibility to describe a company knowledge profile that will sufficiently reflect the company's capacity and capability to act in the new knowledge economy. The application of the knowledge profile and certain specific knowledge processors to a knowledge processing activity to obtain a knowledge yield is examined. It is derived that the knowledge yield will not only comprise of new products and services but also of newly created knowledge. This assumption is tested against Nonaka et al.'s model for a knowledge-creating company. It is suggested that the newly created knowledge will, in turn, enhance the company's knowledge profile. The knowledge yield will subsequently reflect on the company's performance and market value. It is argued that certain elements, constructs and concepts on knowledge management could be presented as an integrative whole by a generic conceptual framework. Considerations to be taken into account when contemplating the implementation of knowledge management as a process is discussed.
The research was conducted to develop and stabilize a data collection and analysis instrument for an annual survey of knowledge management practices in the South African business sector. From a literature study it was deduced that six factors could be identified with necessary and sufficient reason to be used as main parameters for the assessment instrument. Synthesized a priori and posteriori judgmental knowledge was used to construct a number of aggregational indicators for each factor. Each indicator posited as a statement being a recognized knowledge management practice. A modified six point Likert scale was created to score/indicate gradual progression towards full implementation of a specific practice. Regression factor analysis and one-way analysis of variance was used on the collected data to evaluate the instrument. These analyses indicated that the instrument could detect the expected differences on the demographics and on the KM practices of the survey and could therefore be declared sound and verified. The analyses also revealed several modifications that could be used to improve the instrument.
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