Critical Factors for a Successful Knowledge Management Implementation: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Nowadays, knowledge is considered a key resource for organizations, crucial for obtaining long-term sustainable competitive. In line with this principle, many organizations are making efforts toward the implementation of knowledge management (KM) initiatives, recognizing that their competitive foundation lies in the effective way to capture, retain, store and share knowledge. Although companies are increasingly competing based on their ability to effectively manage knowledge, there are still numerous challenges for organizations that intend to implement a KM system. Thus, for a successful implementation of KM in organizations, it is crucial to understand which factors are critical for the effectiveness of KM processes and lead to competitive advantage. Although there are many studies related to critical success factors of KM, few bring together the CSFs in a systematic and extensive manner. This paper aims to have a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the critical factors that lead to the success of KM implementations in organizations. Data was collected from a systematic literature review, using PRISMA flow diagram to summarize it. The critical success factors collected were standardized and categorized into categories and dimensions. In this sense, 25 categories of critical success factors were created and categorized in 4 dimensions: Organization, Technology, Knowledge and KM Capability, and External Influence. The results found suggest that factors related to the organization and people, such as the definition of a clear strategy, the definition of performance measures to evaluate and monitor the strategy, the involvement of top management, or even the organizational culture itself, represent some of the factors that have the most influence on the successful implementation of KM initiatives. With this research, it is expected to contribute from a theoretical perspective to the KM area through the compilation, categorization and classification of a set of critical success factors reported in the literature. From a practical perspective, the results of this study can help any organization, regardless of sector, supporting the preparation and improvement of strategies in this area.