Performance improvement in twenty-first century organizations: models, tools, techniques

摘要

This special issue consists of revised papers originally presented during the 9th International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD) conference organized in June 2014 in Matera, Italy. IFKAD is an international leading event in the research and management of intellectual capital and intangible assets as well as knowledge-based value creation patterns. The specific aim of the 9th IFKAD was to discuss management models for sustainable growth. This particular special issue focuses on performance improvement. The papers address the intersections of performance management and knowledge management disciplines. The role of knowledge in performance management is at least two-dimensional. First, knowledge is a resource that is argued to yield sustainable competitive advantage (Barney, 1991; Grant, 1996; Spender, 1996). Second, information and knowledge form a basis for decision-making and management control (Choo, 1996; Anthony, 1965; Otley, 1999). With these two complementary perspectives, knowledge management provides an essential tool for improving organizational performance in the twenty-first century.