Knowledge management capability : a resource-based view and comparison of public and private organizations

Abstract

This thesis examines whether and how knowledge management (KM) is related to organizational performance in the public (e.g., not-for-profit and government organizations) and private sectors in two essays. Essay 1 elucidates how various KM-related resources improve organizational performance through influencing the development of KM capability. Physical (e.g., KM technology support), organizational (e.g., senior management championship), and human resources (e.g., social capital and inter-organizational linkages) are hypothesized to improve an organization?s KM capability and subsequently organizational performance. The effect of physical resources is also hypothesized to be moderated by the organizational and human resources. The effect of KM capability on organizational performance under the condition of environmental dynamism is also examined. Key findings from a survey of private organizations indicate that KM capability enables organizations to outperform others under the condition of environmental dynamism and social capital and inter-organizational linkages have the most significant direct and moderating effects on KM capability.

Recognizing the lack of understanding and research on KM in the public context, Essay 2 investigates how KM in public organizations differs from that in private organizations. Based on the resource-based model of KM capability developed in Essay 1, the level of physical, organizational, and human resources in public organizations is compared to that in private organizations. The structural model of KM capability in public organizations is also compared to that of private organizations. Key findings show that due to less supportive organizational and human resources, public organizations may not develop comparable level of KM capability even if they invest as much in physical KM resources as private organizations. Resources such as inter-organizational linkages which have significant direct and moderating effects in the private sector are found to be not significant in the public sector. Overall, these findings suggest that future research should be mindful of the public-private distinction when generalizing research findings from one sector to the other.