Knowledge management: Typology from organizational contextual factors

Abstract

Knowledge Management as a practice that returns competitive advantage and innovation to firms is a consensus among researchers. The Knowledge Management is supported by contextual factors developed differently by organizations. Thus, the aim of this research was to identify a typology for the development of these contextual factors. The study considers five organizational constructs related to Knowledge Management: human resources, teamwork, organizational culture, organizational structure, and knowledge development and absorption. The research was developed from a survey of 78 companies in the automotive sector and data analysis was based on the statistical techniques of exploratory factor analysis, which combines measurable variables into latent factors, cluster analysis, which identifies clusters of companies, and discriminant analysis, which validates the statistical difference between the clusters identified. The results point to four different clusters regarding the practice of Knowledge Management: Innovative Companies, Explorative Companies, Exploitative Companies and Companies Laggards.