Key attributes of successful knowledge management: an empirical study in telecommunication and software industries

In today's turbulent environment, KM is considered much more than a buzzword; rather it has emerged as a critical competitive differentiator – a delicate balance of people, processes and tools. The aim of this paper is to provide the empirical support for successful implementation of knowledge management (KM) in Indian telecom and software industries, that have, to date, received very little attention in the literature. This paper is based on an empirical study conducted on 80 knowledge workers, project managers, team members, consultants, researchers and designers randomly drawn from Indian telecommunication and software industries, using a detailed questionnaire survey. Statistical analytical tools like coefficient of correlation and other descriptive statistics scores have been used for presenting the data. The results revealed sufficient evidence to establish a correlation between organisational culture, organisational learning, collaboration, innovation and KM. The factors described in this paper are based on the existing KM practices at organisations with well-established KM programs. These can serve as pragmatic guidelines for KM practitioners in developing knowledge culture.

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