Enablers and Outcomes of Knowledge Management Implementation in Supply Chains: Manufacturing Companies Perspective

Companies wish to understand (1) the need for knowledge management implementation (KMI) and (2) its possible enablers and outcomes to facilitate its success. This study aims to provide a generic picture by identifying the awareness level of Turkish companies and their recognized key enablers and outcomes of KMI in supply chains. After determining influencing factors (internal and external) and short-term (internal and external) and long-term outcomes (sustainability) of KMI, they are evaluated by 82 respondents from 74 Turkish manufacturing companies which are members of supply chains. The results suggest that Turkish companies have implemented KM except four of the surveyed companies. The study identifies corporate culture as an internal enabler and market and customers as external enablers as the most apparent contributors of KMI. Regarding their focus on the outcomes, interviewees believe that KMI helps them achieve short-term outcomes more as opposed to long-term outcomes (sustainability). The study has also surprising results: while collaboration emerges to be a weak outcome, only the economic dimension of sustainability appears as an outcome of KMI. The results may imply that Turkish companies do not properly recognize, implement, and therefore realize the fundamental outcomes of KMI in their respective supply chains. The results also indicate that they mainly focus on their internal issues (production and organizational structure) instead of focusing on external issues (customers, market, and other chain members).