Knowledge Management in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

KM principles often apply to large companies (more than 200 employees), where issues of general management and skill sets, as well as resources, often require comprehensive and multi-department solutions. However, many small businesses experience the same issues of knowledge sharing and management, but may find boundaries in the development and implementation of programs. How can small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefit from KM principles? What areas in the traditional literature immediately apply, and what boundaries arise? Often encompassing multiple roles, managerial practices, and efforts in microcosm, how can these smaller companies provide the structure and impact needed to make KM principles work for them? This work analyses the problems that small businesses face in the collection, dissemination, and storage of company knowledge, including issues of technology, communities of practice, and "stickiness" for best-practice goals. The definitions of small business, as outlined by the European Commission and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), will serve as a useful tool for scope and discussion. This research will explore three key classifications of traits — structural or systemic, communication, and qualitative — through a review of the areas in which the challenges of small businesses, because of their size, imply somewhat different approaches to KM.