Knowledge Management Enablers, Process and Organizational Performance: Evidence from Malaysian Enterprises

Abstract

This research study demonstrates the important of the knowledge creation process. It helps to demonstrate that knowledge management enablers, including learning and T-Shaped skills can promote organizational creativity and thus organizational performance. Therefore it can be argued that the best path for Malaysian SMEs to achieve organizational performance is through organizational creativity achieved through a knowledge creation process that involves knowledge enablers. Further, the imperatives of globalization mean that it is generally accepted that it is imperative for business organizations, particularly SMEs, to improve their performance, through knowledge management, in what has become a global knowledge economy. In fact, this feature provides both the background to and the rationale for this study.

Efficiency and effectiveness of knowledge management systems in SMEs

“…There is a vast literature pointing out that KM is becoming a key strategic factor in the current industrial environment (Wadhwa and Saxena 2007;Yang 2008;Choi and Jong 2010;Garrido-Moreno, Lockett, and Garc ıa-Morales 2014;Kim et al 2014;Chen and Fong 2015;Del Vecchio et al 2017;Zerbino et al 2018). Moreover, authors highlighted the positive impact that knowledge management has on a variety of performance, such as economic and financial performance (Bagnoli and Vedovato 2012;Liu and Abdalla 2013), market performance (Daud and Yusoff 2011;Beck and Schenker-Wicki 2014), operational performance (Lillehagen and Karlsen 2001;Landryov a and Irgens 2006;Fugate, Stank, and Mentzer 2009;Soon and Zainol 2011;Delen et al 2013), human performance (Gholami et al 2013;Wei, Choy, and Chew 2011) and organizational performance (Fugate, Stank, and Mentzer 2009;Hong et al 2014;Liu and Abdalla 2013).…”

The Spread of Knowledge Management in SMEs: A Scenario in Evolution

“…In detail: three out of 17 papers [101][102][103] indicate that KM supports all five performances; four contributions show that KM positively affects four performance types [17,[104][105][106], two papers point out that KM positively influences three performances [107,108], whereas one paper highlights two performances [109], and seven papers show only one performance [110][111][112][113][114][115][116]. This seems to highlight that KM contributes to an overall growth of SMEs by simultaneously enhancing more performance.…”

Leveraging Knowledge Transfer in Strategic Human Resource Management

“…In addition, the employees also need to be trained to evaluate the idea in prodding the decision-making skill and problem solving. It is also helpful that the employee disseminates and adopts new idea through active learning in organization to implement and practise the gained knowledge [40] Theoretically, it converts tacit into explicit knowledge; retain the tacit knowledge of those people about to leave the organization; use the available explicit knowledge in day-to-day processes and decision-making; and measure the achievement of the organization in converting, retaining and using existing as well as new knowledge [41]. Succession planning is the strategy to prepare the next employees to manage the organization.…”

“…In Malaysian economies, SMEs play an important role in terms of economic growth and providing human capital as they act as a pivotal role in the growth of domestic economy and to put Malaysia as more competitive other than developing into becoming a high income nation. They have become the prime mover and also the backbone of industrial development in Malaysia [3]. In the globalization of the world economy, a knowledge based economy urges the organization to enhance their employees' knowledge and skills through knowledge management, in order to survive, sustain and compete in the global environment [3].…”

“…They have become the prime mover and also the backbone of industrial development in Malaysia [3]. In the globalization of the world economy, a knowledge based economy urges the organization to enhance their employees' knowledge and skills through knowledge management, in order to survive, sustain and compete in the global environment [3]. The innovation and rapid development require accelerated use of knowledge that must be managed efficiently, effectively and securely.…”