Knowledge Management Challenges in Start-up Companies in China's Great Bay Area

Abstract

China's Great Bay Area covers Hong Kong S.A.R, Macau S.A.R, Shenzhen, and many other cities in Guangdong Province and is one of China's most economically prosperous areas. Thousands of people start their businesses in this area every year. It is a well-known belief that knowledge management can help business success; however, start-up companies may face many issues in applying knowledge management to achieve their success. Therefore, this study examines the challenges and problems of knowledge management implementation in start-up companies in this region. Conducting a series of semi-structured interviews with owners of start-up companies, this study tries to find several challenges of these companies, such as a lack of knowledge management systems and expertise in the domain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the knowledge management challenges of start-up companies in China’s Great Bay Area. It also provides significant managerial implications that can help these companies to embark on the knowledge management journey successfully.