Exploring knowledge management implementation in large-sized service organizations – Saudi Arabia as a case

Abstract

Whereas there is a growing literature that investigates knowledge management (KM) in service corporates, yet the overview and understanding of KM in large-sized service organisations is yet limited and sparse. Transitional economies, like of Saudi Arabia, are highly motivated to establish a knowledge based structure both economically and socially. There is an urgent need for exploring the current situation of KM tools usage and of perspectives on knowledge and knowledge management, as a start by large sized service organisations. Towards further understanding in this regard, this paper explores the status and potentials of KM implementation scoped to Saudi large-sized service organisations. The paper triangulated an interviewer-administrated questionnaire and focus groups to gather the data. The results indicate that although the weighted average of KM tools/methods deployment (being deployed or can possibly be deployed) reaches 79%; however, the written comments in front of each tool indicates that the participants’ understanding of what KM seems distorted, which is confirmed in the coding of their definitions of the term ‘Knowledge’. The participants identified leadership and strategy formulation as the top two critical success factors. A number of other results are presented and several issues were identified for future research.

Keywords:

• knowledge management
• service organisations
• large-sized organisations
• critical success factors
• KM tools
• Saudi Arabia

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sajed M Abukhader

About the Author

Sajed M. Abukhader’s experience has culminated into an interdisciplinary profile that combines industrial engineering, his major, with other disciplines including: environmental management, health-care management, information systems, business management, knowledge management and so on. He has published therefore in a wide range of journals like International Journal of Technology Management, Journal of Cleaner Production, International Journal of Healthcare Management, International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications and so on. Currently, he is heavily interested in the development of tools and techniques for the practical side of knowledge management.