The relationship between interdepartmental conflict and interdepartmental connectedness and knowledge management system success.

摘要

Early literature on knowledge management posited that organizational capability is the outcome of knowledge integration, and the extent to which this capability is distinctive and contributing to competitive advantage depends on how well the company accesses and integrates the knowledge of its employees (Grant, 1996). Consistent with this focus, a new breed of information systems has emerged, called knowledge management systems.; While recent developments in information technology have provided the tools that enable companies to explore knowledge management solutions, it has become well recognized that information technology does not in itself create knowledge or guarantee knowledge creation. Additionally, most companies are finding that leveraging knowledge is extremely difficult, and dependent more on building a culture based on effective communicating teams, and interdepartmental trust, than on information technology (McDermott, 1999).; In the past 10 years, relatively few studies of the determinants of information systems success have focused specifically on identifiable factors affecting the success of knowledge management systems implementations. The social interactions and cultural factors however are consistently mentioned in virtually all discussions related to knowledge management (De Long & Fahey, 2000). Further, the relationship between organizational learning and knowledge management is beginning to appear more and more frequently in the literature (Birkinshaw, 2001).; The purpose of this study was to expand the base of knowledge in that area, and empirically test the relationship between social interaction within an organization and knowledge management system success. Two aspects of social interaction were measured: interdepartmental connectedness, and interdepartmental conflict. The results of the study indicate that there is a significant relationship between both factors and knowledge management system success.