Factors and Variables Affecting the Adoption and Practice of Knowledge Management: an Exploratory Study in the Life Insurance Companies in Taiwan

摘要

Knowledge management (KM) is crucial for organizations to enhance their competitive advantages. While KM has been used and operated in the business world for decades, its applications, which involve recognition of knowledge, development of information system and support of organization, have just been initiated in Taiwan life insurance industry recently. Accordingly, KM can be seen as an innovation for the life insurance companies in Taiwan. The issues of KM have been discussed widely by a number of researchers. However, there is a genuine lack of KM adoption and practice model in the life insurance industry. This paper attempts to investigate the factors and variables in the context of life insurance companies in Taiwan. An exploratory study is undertaken by conducting interviews with ten participants, who represent different positions in six life insurance companies which vary in backgrounds and stages of KM applications. Content analysis is used to identify the factors and variables and a comprehensive model of KM adoption and practice is thus developed. The life insurance industry in Taiwan has been facing tremendous competitive pressure attributable in part, to globalization trend. This study offers a model for future KM research in the life insurance industry and provides managerial implications particularly for those life insurance companies embarking on KM in Taiwan.