The Knowledge Management Process during the Rollout of a New Business Practice in a Multinational Corporation A qualitative case study of a headquarters and local market context

Abstract

The knowledge management process (KMP) can be used as a framework to understand how organizations create, store, distribute, and use knowledge. Previous research on KMP is conceptual, nor associated with any particular event or organizational context, indicating a shortcoming in explaining how it unfolds as a phenomenon occurs in a specific organizational context. Organizational actions corresponding to the various phases of KMP are presented in previous literature, although not tested in relation to a specific phenomenon as it occurs. This study explores the KMP during a rollout of a New Business Practice (NBP) within a multinational corporation (MNC), by exploring how knowledge flows and organizational actions influence the KMP in NBP rollout. Employing a qualitative case study, the study analyzed the insights from 36 interviews, based on participants' experiences of the NBP. The findings highlight what characterizes the various phases of the KMP, and how they interrelate, suggesting the KMP to be an ongoing process in which the NBP is continuously refined. It was found that organizational actions have the possibilities to facilitate the various phases of KMP, suggesting an MNC to direct its attention towards organizational actions. The findings are limited to a specific context, implying restricted generalizations.