Assessing the relationship between knowledge management and plant performance at the Tennessee Valley Authority.

摘要

This dissertation investigates the relationship between knowledge management (KM) and organizational performance at a large electric utility, which is representative of the vital industry as a whole. Specifically, KM at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is investigated to determine the role of KM in the organization and its relationship with plant performance.; The concept of Knowledge Management (KM) emerged in the field of Management Science during the early 1990s. It has recently enjoyed significant interest among management practitioners, consultants, academicians, and researchers, who have many questions related to KM's use, potential, and payback. Although KM has been positively associated with improved organizational performance, quantitative evidence to support this relationship has been lacking. Additionally, KM research has historically been focused on the perceptions of mid-to-upper level managers. Knowledge management research designed to determine if various employee groups perceive it differently is also lacking.; Over 1,870 TVA employees participated in this research. Plant performance measures used to study the relationship between KM and plant performance were obtained from TVA organizations independently of the research instrument. Results of this research found that there is a positive relationship between KM and plant performance at TVA's generating facilities. Also, results indicate that there are significant differences in the perception of KM among various TVA employee organizations and groups.