Storytelling sustains a sharing culture at Sarkuysan: High levels of trust and commitment at Turkish copper manufacturer

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal how effective knowledge‐management practices, combined with a supportive corporate culture, have helped Turkish copper company Sarkuysan to cope successfully with the challenges it has faced.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on interviews with senior managers of the company, plus company reports, bulletins and its official web site.

Findings

The paper reveals that labor turnover at the firm is only 1.48 percent among blue‐collar workers and 3.49 percent among managers. Top management is not a distant authority at the firm, but visible and active in its day‐to‐day affairs. Communication is open and levels of trust are high. The reward system recognizes group, rather than individual, achievement.

Practical implications

The paper presents a company that combines four core values (storytelling, continuity, loyalty and trust) with two support factors (top‐management support and an appropriate reward system) to achieve a high level of success in knowledge management.

Originality/value

The paper describes how knowledge management is applied in an emerging‐market context, and focuses on the topic as a cultural issue rather than one that demands complex information technology.

Citation

(2009), "Storytelling sustains a sharing culture at Sarkuysan: High levels of trust and commitment at Turkish copper manufacturer", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 33-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670730910940285