A conceptual framework to address barriers to knowledge management in project-based organizations
Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues
ISSN: 1753-7983
Article publication date: 26 August 2014
Abstract
Purpose
The purposes of this study are to identify, classify and prioritize knowledge management (KM) barriers in an Iranian project-based organization (PBO) and to present a conceptual framework for improving attitudes to KM in the Iranian context.
Design/methodology/approach
After studying previous literature on the topic, initial barriers of KM in PBOs were extracted. Then, a list of barriers of KM in the aforementioned organizations was finalized by interviewing experts in KM. After that, the barriers were prioritized using a questionnaire. Finally, a conceptual framework for successfully tackling KM barriers was presented.
Findings
In this article, barriers of KM in PBOs have been divided into five categories: individual, organizational, technological, contextual, and inter-project. Then a three-layered conceptual framework has been presented which describes how the barriers of KM in PBOs may be removed progressively.
Practical implications
The prepared and prioritized list of barriers of KM in PBOs is a stepping stone and a guideline for managers in PBOs which will enable them to identify barriers of KM in their own organizations and resolve them and improve KM in their organizations. It also serves as a useful base for researchers to expand further research concerning barriers of KM in PBOs.
Originality/value
This article is probably the first article which has identified barriers of KM via interviews and questionnaires carried out in 50 active PBOs which had a KM section. The article also presents a three-layered framework for lowering barriers of KM, which can be applied step by step after considering the level of importance of each one identified.
Keywords
Citation
Akhavan, P., Reza Zahedi, M. and Hosein Hosein, S. (2014), "A conceptual framework to address barriers to knowledge management in project-based organizations", Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, Vol. 7 No. 2/3, pp. 98-119. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBS-10-2013-0040
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited