The impact of organizational culture on knowledge management : the case of an international multilateral organization

Abstract

Knowledge is a strategic asset and organizations that have operational knowledge management (KM) systems, possess competitive advantage over their rivals. However, harnessing tacit knowledge and converting it to a form that is accessible and usable by all, is a great challenge. Tacit knowledge sharing is dependent on the will of the employee to share knowledge and the purpose of this research is to investigate the role played by culture in either hindering or enabling knowledge sharing. Using a single case study of an international multilateral organization, this research study investigated the effect that organizational culture has on KM. Data was collected through a questionnaire that had a combination of guided and open-ended questions. More than two-thirds of the employees of the case study organization participated in the research study. Data analysis was done in two ways. First, numerical data were analyzed using tallies and percentages for easier interpretation. Secondly, narrative analysis was used to analyze data from open-ended questions. It was established that some traits of organizational culture such as bureaucracy, being process oriented and being risk-averse hindered knowledge sharing in KM. Descriptors such as welcoming, transparent and teamwork were aspects that positively impacted KM. By understanding the impact of culture on knowledge sharing in KM, organizations may address potential barriers to KM and optimize the value of their KM effort.