Analysing and classifying knowledge management publications – a proposed classification scheme

The growing number of publications on knowledge management (KM) has addressed heterogeneous topics that lack integration and classification. This article closes the classification gap by presenting a classification scheme, providing an integrated overview of KM publications.

The development of the classification scheme follows a multistep approach. By applying a taxonomy development method, the results of a previous content analysis of 4,290 publications were processed to integrate 3,780 keywords into a classification scheme.

The classification scheme consists of 13 main categories and subcategories with six levels of detail. The scheme covers not only KM-specific keywords but also keywords from related disciplines, indicating a strong interdependence with related research domains.

The scheme provides a starting point for ongoing collaboration within the KM community with the aim of improving the classification results and refining the scheme to manifest the core identity.

The scheme is helpful in understanding whether KM implementation activities in organisations are aligned with overall research activities and topics covered by publications.

Developing a scheme based on a prior content analysis turns out to be a unique and innovative approach that has never before been done in the KM domain.