The Influence of Organizational Culture on the Success of Knowledge Management Practices with North American Companies

Abstract

This research tests a model of the moderating effect of organizational culture on the relationship between knowledge management and organizational benefits and a positive relationship between knowledge management and organizational benefits. This topic is related to organizational strategic issues such as sharing knowledge and developing new capacities for action through learning processes. The 133 respondents represented 38 of the 49 North American companies recognized for their knowledge management “best practices” initiatives. There were two instruments used in this study: Cameron and Quinn’s 1999 OCAI measured four types of organizational culture (Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy), and Lawson’s (2002) KMAI assessed Knowledge Management and Organizational Benefits. Emphasizing the competing values framework, the results from the study show that organizational culture is positively related to organizational benefits with high positive intercorrelations.