Revealing the Antecedents and Benefits of KMS Use: An Exploratory Study in a Petroleum Company in Oman

Abstract. This pilot study aimed to explore technical and social antecedents and benefits of KMS use in a petroleum company in Oman. Data was collected through questionnaire given to KMS users. From the technical perspective, results uncovered that both knowledge utilizers and contributors were concerned about the system ease of use, speed and integration. Knowledge utilizers also valued knowledge richness in terms of relevancy and timeliness. From the social perspective, both knowledge utilizers and contributors considered time/availability as the major determinant of their behaviors. The results also suggested that knowledge utillizers valued the technical factors more than the social factors, whereas, knowledge contributors valued the social factors more than the technical factors. The study also revealed that KMS use resulted not only in individual benefits, but also organizational benefits. These achieved net benefits further boost KMS use