ifkad articles

Aligning knowledge management systems in SMEs: an FST approach

Piera Centobelli, Roberto Cerchione, Emilio Esposito, Renato Passaro

This paper evaluates the alignment between firm’s knowledge and knowledge management tools and practices adopted and provides a decision-making tool for both SMEs and policy makers. A field analysis was conducted in a sample of sixty-one small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in high tech industries. The results identify a taxonomy of different typologies of SME behaviour in relation to the alignment of the enterprise’s knowledge with knowledge management tools and practices. Four typologies of behaviour are identified: Guidepost SMEs, Practice Laggard SMEs, Tool Laggard SMEs and Latecomer SMEs. From the enterprise point of view, the proposed taxonomy supports the decision-making aimed to suggest appropriate changes to improve the degree of alignment. From the policy maker point of view, the proposed taxonomy allows SMEs to improve the processes of management and circulation of knowledge among enterprises.

IN: Proceedings IFKAD 2017 – Knowledge Management in the 21st Century: Resilience, Creativity and Co-creation
PP: 1159-1175