A model for a successful implementation of knowledge management in engineering organizations

Knowledge management (KM) is an emerging discipline that promises tocapitalize on organizations intellectual capital. KM refers to the process ofmanaging the life-cycle of knowledge relevant to areas that are mission criticalto the organization. This includes efforts to capture, store, and deployknowledge using a combination of information technology and businessprocesses. In recent years, KM has become a critical subject of discussion inthe business literature. Both business and academic communities believe thatby leveraging knowledge, an organization can sustain its long-term competitiveadvantage. Approaches to KM varied form emphasizing the capabilities ofinformation and communication technologies to the focus on social systemssuch as employee training and motivation. Engineering organizations led the way in KM initiatives realizing the potential ofsuccessful KM implementation in decreasing production time and cost,increasing quality, making better decisions as well as improve organizations'performance and provide a competitive advantage. Although some engineeringorganizations reported early KM success, other organizations have tried andfailed to implement KM. These failures have been linked to the lack of agenerally accepted framework and methodology to guide successfulimplementation of KM in organizations. This primary aim of this research is to produce a model for a successfulimplementation of KM in engineering organizations which integrates the various approaches and key factors to implementing KM. The study has produced amodel which provides a framework that identifies the different types ofknowledge available in engineering organizations, the KM life-cycle which isneeded to manage this knowledge, and the key factors that facilitate thisprocess. The model also provides management with guidance for implementingKM in their organizations.In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this research, a triangulation nonexperimentalapproach is adopted using qualitative in-depth case study withtriangulation of data collection methods that uses observation, structuredinterviews, unstructured interviews, historical data collection, and documentreview. This is followed by a quantitative approach with the use of aquestionnaire to further validate and generalize the proposed KM model. Inbuilding the KM model a thorough review of previous related literature fromdifferent disciplines was conducted. The literature reviewed included variousissues relating to KM, such as KM approaches, perspectives, frameworks, andmethodologies as well as strategic planning, human resources, instructionaldesign theories, organizational learning, information technology, etc