Introduction

Many organizations are implementing knowledge management (KM) strategies and infrastructures that are yielding real benefits in terms of knowledge sharing and streamlining processes. Companies are adopting more technologies to maximize the benefit of KM than ever, but there is evidence that they do not take full advantage of them. If a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing does not exist, those technologies will yield minimal benefit. Before an organization implements technologies for a successful KM implementation, it must address cultural issues. An extensive review of KM research highlights the fact that one of the main barriers to implementation of KM technology is the absence of an organizational culture that promotes knowledge sharing. The same dollar spent on the same system may give a competitive advantage to one company, but only expensive paperweights to another. The key factors for the higher return on the investment in KM technology are the selection of the right technologies for given business contexts and the effective utilization of knowledge using those technologies.

Whereas the acquisition of technology is a rapid process, the development of the social infrastructure that supports knowledge sharing is a much more difficult. Cultural change does not occur in a quickly. Cultural change and technologic support of this change must complement each other so they yield synergism with each other. The impact of the social changes is boosted by technologies that are appropriate for the current organizational culture and reflect the values and distinctions of the new culture.