Exploring secondary activities of the knowledge chain

Researchers, marketers, and pundits often assert that knowledge management (KM) is an important, or even essential, basis for competitiveness. The Knowledge Chain Model has been advanced as a basis for understanding linkages between KM activities and organizational performance. Based on a general ontology of KM, this model identifies five primary and four secondary activities as focal points for enhancing an organization's competitive position. Both anecdotes and survey results support the model. A prior paper explored the primary classes of activity found in the Knowledge Chain Model, finding that each is comprised of distinct subclasse's that are candidates for enhancing organizational performance. Here, we similarly explore the model's secondary KM activity classes to uncover the subclasses of which they are comprised, thereby arriving at a more detailed understanding of their potential for launching competitive initiatives. A literature review yielded over 300 variations of the four secondary activities. We consolidate these into 29 distinct activity types and organize them into the four secondary activity classes. A typology of activity types is developed for each class. The result is a more in-depth version of the Knowledge Chain Model that gives greater guidance to practitioners in assessing current KM initiatives or striving to incorporate KM into their organizations and their competitive strategies. Together with the earlier primary activity class paper, a total of 61 distinct activity types have been identified for the Knowledge Chain Model. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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