Managing knowledge in international consulting firms
Abstract
Purpose
At the pinnacle of the knowledge management hype, international consulting firms were widely viewed as the undisputed champions of the discipline. They were the ones that pioneered the development of innovative knowledge management systems, they were at the forefront of creating knowledge management cultures and they recognized the productive potential of knowledge workers. While knowledge continues to be prominent on the strategic agenda of leading consulting firms, several knowledge management challenges remain unsolved. To shed light on this matter the paper aims to investigate how knowledge management is really embedded in their organizations and with which critical issues these firms still struggle .
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a qualitative empirical study based on 37 in‐depth interviews with representatives from international consulting firms in different locations around the world.
Findings
It is found that the promise of knowledge management can only be realized if people are open to changing business processes and adopt new ways of thinking.
Practical implictions
The study sheds fresh light on the knowledge management practices that have emerged in the consulting industry, and provides insights into the interplay of people and systems, the structuring of knowledge management, the divide between knowledge generalists and specialists, and the knowledge management strategy.
Originality/value
The paper presents a general approach to embedding knowledge management along the dimensions of people, systems and business processes and develops an integrative framework that links knowledge management strategies to a typical consulting project cycle. In addition, it sheds light on individual perceptions on the benefits from knowledge management.
Keywords
Citation
Ambos, T.C. and Schlegelmilch, B.B. (2009), "Managing knowledge in international consulting firms", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 13 No. 6, pp. 491-508. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673270910997141
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited