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Knowledge Management in Organizations: New Trends and Challenges

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 18291

Special Issue Editors

Department of Business Administration, University of Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain
Interests: knowledge management; eco-innovation; operations and sustainable business development; family firms; management systems certification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Business Administration, University of Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain
Interests: operations management; supply chains; manufacturing flexibility; circular economy; knowledge management; PLS-SEM; bibliometric reviews
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At the present time, the advent of the “new knowledge economy” has led to consider knowledge as one of the most important organizational and strategic resources to develop sustainable competitive advantages and obtain superior organizational performance and economic growth. Knowledge management (KM) can be broadly defined as the process of creating, using, sharing, storing, and managing knowledge and information within and between organizations to achieve their objectives, thus facilitating decision-making.

Nowadays, KM has gained momentum in the business world as a vital element in designing strategies, developing new products and services, and managing operational processes. Effective KM, usually supported by information and communication technologies (ICTs), enables organizations to become more innovative and productive. However, KM may be conditioned by specific firm characteristics, justifying the need of exploring singular contexts (i.e., small and medium enterprises (SMEs) or family firms (FF), among others). Moreover, KM enables supply chain management in information-intensive and multi-cultured enterprise environments, facilitates firms' sustainable development (SD) through green innovation-oriented activities, as well as ensures effective transition into a circular economy by developing alternative business models to the conventional linear economic model. Thus, in general, KM supports the development of organizational and individual capabilities to address current and future business challenges and survival. In this context, the ongoing pandemic derived from COVID-19 has put in evidence that little is known about how companies are currently approaching digital transformation and KM to mitigate the pandemic’s socio-economic effects for firms’ survival.

For this Special Issue of Sustainability, we invite submissions focused on new trends and challenges about the role of KM in organizations. Potential contributions may include, but should not be limited to, theoretical papers and/or quantitative studies. Papers that provide new empirical evidence from case studies are also welcome. With this in mind, we look for theoretical and empirical research able to investigate a variety of lines of inquiry, including:

  • New trends of knowledge management
  • Enablers, barriers, and outcomes of knowledge management implementation
  • Digitalization and knowledge management
  • The impact of Covid-19 on knowledge management: firms’ survival in a time of crisis
  • Knowledge management and value creation through innovation
  • Knowledge management in the new circular economy paradigm
  • Knowledge management and sustainable development
  • Knowledge management in singular contexts: family firms, SMEs
  • Knowledge management and supply chains

Prof. Dr. Ana Maria Serrano-Bedia
Dr. Marta Pérez-Pérez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • knowledge management
  • value creation
  • innovation
  • sustainable development
  • digitalization
  • circular economy
  • supply chain
  • family firms
  • SMEs
  • Covid-19

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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32 pages, 1394 KiB  
Article
Knowledge Management Infrastructure Framework for Enhancing Knowledge-Intensive Business Processes
by Itzhak Aviv, Irit Hadar and Meira Levy
Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11387; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132011387 - 15 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3545
Abstract
In this age of digital transformation, knowledge-intensive organizations strive to improve business outcomes and sustainability by improving their knowledge-intensive business processes (KIBPs) to obtain a competitive advantage. Many researchers have claimed that KIBP enhancement is possible through knowledge management (KM) initiatives supported by [...] Read more.
In this age of digital transformation, knowledge-intensive organizations strive to improve business outcomes and sustainability by improving their knowledge-intensive business processes (KIBPs) to obtain a competitive advantage. Many researchers have claimed that KIBP enhancement is possible through knowledge management (KM) initiatives supported by an effective KM infrastructure. Current KM infrastructures deal with formal KM procedures, where knowledge is created, stored, assimilated, and disseminated. Such activities, however, are designed to be performed outside of the business process. KM infrastructures are expected to be more effective when they include specific real-time knowledge procedures integrated into the operational flow of KIBPs. This paper explores how modern KM infrastructures can support KIBPs, considering both formal and operational KM procedures. Our study’s essential contribution is the conceptual KM infrastructure framework (KMIF) developed based on grounded theory research. This infrastructure provides a systematic and robust approach, starting from the ground up, for structuring organizational knowledge assets across a range of KIBP environments. We define operational knowledge procedures directly involved in KIBPs, adding a layer to KM infrastructures beyond the formal knowledge procedures. A mixed-method case study was conducted to demonstrate and evaluate the proposed KMIF for enhancing business outcomes and sustainability of knowledge-intensive organizations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management in Organizations: New Trends and Challenges)
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20 pages, 988 KiB  
Article
Knowledge Management in the Esports Industry: Sustainability, Continuity, and Achievement of Competitive Results
by José Manuel Saiz-Alvarez, Jesús Manuel Palma-Ruiz, Herik Germán Valles-Baca and Luis Alberto Fierro-Ramírez
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10890; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131910890 - 30 Sep 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7689
Abstract
The increasing popularity and exponential growth of esports as a worldwide phenomenon has created a whole new industry with important implications for the different key players in the value chain. The digitalization process, which accelerated after the global spread of COVID-19, has introduced [...] Read more.
The increasing popularity and exponential growth of esports as a worldwide phenomenon has created a whole new industry with important implications for the different key players in the value chain. The digitalization process, which accelerated after the global spread of COVID-19, has introduced a collection of exciting changes to content production and delivery, with the Internet as its fundamental pillar. Knowledge management in successful esports organizations can be associated with their sustainability, continuity, and achievement of long-lasting competitive results in this industry. From a descriptive standpoint, this paper aims to analyze the determinants that have advanced the esports industry, especially in Spain. To achieve this goal, a SWOT analysis is carried out to highlight the keys that have developed this industry. This research contributes to studying the economic impact and the strategies organizations should follow to guarantee their future. Recommendations for both the industry and public administrations are further discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management in Organizations: New Trends and Challenges)
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17 pages, 1381 KiB  
Article
Data Mining to Assess Organizational Transparency across Technology Processes: An Approach from IT Governance and Knowledge Management
by Pedro Solana-González, Adolfo Alberto Vanti, María Matilde García Lorenzo and Rafael E. Bello Pérez
Sustainability 2021, 13(18), 10130; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131810130 - 10 Sep 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2311
Abstract
Information quality and organizational transparency are relevant issues for corporate governance and sustainability of companies, as they contribute to reducing information asymmetry, decreasing risks, and improving the conduct of decision-makers, ensuring an ethical standard of organizational control. This work uses the COBIT framework [...] Read more.
Information quality and organizational transparency are relevant issues for corporate governance and sustainability of companies, as they contribute to reducing information asymmetry, decreasing risks, and improving the conduct of decision-makers, ensuring an ethical standard of organizational control. This work uses the COBIT framework of IT governance, knowledge management, and machine learning techniques to evaluate organizational transparency considering the maturity levels of technology processes applied in 285 companies of southern Brazil. Data mining techniques have been methodologically applied to analyze the 37 processes in four different domains: Planning and organization, acquisition and implementation, delivery and support, and monitoring. Four learning techniques for knowledge discovery have been used to build a computational model that allowed us to evaluate the organizational transparency level. The results evidence the importance of IT performance monitoring and assessment, and internal control processes in enabling organizations to improve their levels of transparency. These processes depend directly on the establishment of IT strategic plans and quality management, as well as IT risk and project management, therefore an improvement in the maturity of these processes implies an increase in the levels of organizational transparency and their reputational, financial, and accountability impact. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management in Organizations: New Trends and Challenges)
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17 pages, 789 KiB  
Article
Organizational Capabilities for Family Firm Sustainability: The Role of Knowledge Accumulation and Family Essence
by Ismael Barros-Contreras, Jesús Manuel Palma-Ruiz and Angel Torres-Toukoumidis
Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5607; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13105607 - 18 May 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1899
Abstract
While prior studies recognize the importance of organizational capabilities for family firm sustainability, current research has still failed to empirically identify the role of different types of knowledge accumulation with regard to these organizational capabilities. Based on the dynamic capabilities theory, the main [...] Read more.
While prior studies recognize the importance of organizational capabilities for family firm sustainability, current research has still failed to empirically identify the role of different types of knowledge accumulation with regard to these organizational capabilities. Based on the dynamic capabilities theory, the main goal of this paper is to address this research gap and to explore the relationships between both internal and external knowledge accumulation, and ordinary organizational capabilities. This research also contributes to analyzing the complex effect of the family firm essence, influenced by both family involvement and generational involvement levels, as an antecedent of internal and external knowledge accumulation. Our analysis of 102 non-listed Spanish family firms shows that the family firm essence, which is influenced by the family involvement, strengthens only the internal knowledge accumulation but not the external one. Furthermore, our study also reveals that both internal and knowledge accumulation are positively related to ordinary capabilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management in Organizations: New Trends and Challenges)
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Review

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21 pages, 1011 KiB  
Review
Knowledge Ambidexterity within a Business Context: Taking Stock and Moving Forward
by Ana María Serrano-Bedia and Marta Pérez-Pérez
Sustainability 2021, 13(18), 10388; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131810388 - 17 Sep 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1552
Abstract
Despite the increasing and recent interest in researching knowledge ambidexterity, there has been no attempt from scholarly research to map and structure extant research on this topic. The aim of this study is to fill this gap, thereby contributing to previous literature by [...] Read more.
Despite the increasing and recent interest in researching knowledge ambidexterity, there has been no attempt from scholarly research to map and structure extant research on this topic. The aim of this study is to fill this gap, thereby contributing to previous literature by increasing our understanding of the research on knowledge ambidexterity. This paper employs a systematic literature review analysis on a sample of 20 academic papers extracted from the Web of Science database in June 2021. After illustrating the size, growth trajectory, geographic distribution, and key publishing journals in the sample, the paper analyses the intellectual structure and main foci of the research domain. The results show that this topic emerged in the late 2000s with a boom in research in the last 5 years and a clear predominance of quantitative studies. Moreover, content analysis reveals that both a clear definition of knowledge ambidexterity and its main components, knowledge exploration and exploitation, and a valid and reliable scale for measuring this concept are still lacking. The review has also revealed that the research domain on knowledge ambidexterity can be grouped into three different research lines, each of which relates to a different level of analysis—teams, intraorganisational processes within individual firms, and interorganisational collaborations—and concludes by identifying potential areas for future research on this topic that may help to advance in the consolidation of this particularly vibrant field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Knowledge Management in Organizations: New Trends and Challenges)
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