What Individual-level Antecedents Influence Knowledge Management Effectiveness?

Abstract

This paper extends Smith and McLaughlin’s model of knowledge management (KM) performance and considers how the antecedents (focus, will, and capability) impact on perceived KM effectiveness from an individual point of view. Adopting a sociotechnical perspective, the study divides the human capability factor into technicalbased KM capability (HTKMC) and social-based KM capability (HSKMC). The effects of HSKMC, HTKMC, KM focus, and KM participatory willingness on KM effectiveness are examined. The results show that (1) willingness, focus, and HSKMC are associated with high levels of KM effectiveness; and (2) the hypothesized effect of HTKMC on KM effectiveness is insignificant. The findings could help business managers and academics understand the importance of human-oriented and sociocentric knowledge management. Moreover, the proposed framework can serve as a basis for evaluating KM outcomes by providing managers with more specific criteria to interpret the relationship between the individual antecedents and perceived KM effectiveness.