thesis title knowledge management

Knowledge Management: A Study of Effective Management of Tacit Knowledge

• Department of Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering

Student thesis : Phd

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Type : Thesis

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A systematic literature review on knowledge management in SMEs: current trends and future directions

Susanne durst.

1 Department of Business Administration, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia

Samuel Foli

Ingi runar edvardsson.

2 School of Business, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland

Associated Data

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

It is generally known that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a significant driver of employment and economic growth for the majority of world economies. At the same time, SMEs are more fragile in times of crisis which in turn restricts their possibilities for action. In such an environment, it appears even more relevant for SMEs to consider knowledge and its management. Given that, it seems relevant to have an in-depth understanding of knowledge management (KM) in SMEs so that it can be better promoted. Therefore, this paper conducts a systematic literature review of the extant literature on KM in SMEs to present a state-of-the-art understanding. The review covers 180 papers from leading journals that have been published between 2012 and 2022. The review provides insight into the diversity and evolution of KM in SME research and evaluates the extant body of literature covered. Additionally, a framework is proposed that relates existing research on KM to SMEs. The paper concludes with proposals for future research on KM in SMEs.

Introduction

The world has become even more uncertain and is not only exposed to new challenges, but old ones have come back as well. This includes the climate change, the pandemic and its consequences, but also the recent invasion of Ukraine. Thus, organisations have to be ready and prepared to cope with an environment that is characterised by a number of challenges that are taking place at the same time. This underlines not only the further increased role of knowledge, but also the need for a conscious and proactive use of it (Apte et al. 2022 ). Knowledge management (KM) has been viewed as helpful in systematically identifying, creating, applying, and disseminating critical knowledge, which in turn can support organisations’ efforts towards sustainability (Durst and Zieba 2020 ). KM is relevant for all kinds of organisations; for small businesses perhaps especially to compete in an increasingly uncertain world (Durst et al. 2021 ; Rao et al. 2022 ).

Given the significance and contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to almost all economies of the world and of knowledge to address current and upcoming organisational and societal challenges, it is important to have a good understanding of KM in SMEs and possible challenges that may hinder SMEs from using their knowledge in the best possible way so that KM in SMEs can be better promoted. The last few months have shown again, and continue to show, that small organisations in particular suffer significantly from the effects of crises (Clauss et al. 2022 ). Against this background, the authors of this paper offer a systematic literature review to promote an improved understanding of KM in SMEs in a knowledge-advancing way. Even though there are several reviews on KM in SMEs, either the time horizon covered in the reviews ends in 2014 (e.g. Cerchione et al. 2016 ; Durst and Edvardsson 2012 ; Massaro et al. 2016 ). The existing reviews cover large firms as well (e.g. Cerchione et al. 2020 ) or focus on very limited areas of KM in SMEs, e.g., Cerchione et al. ( 2016 ) focused on KM in SME networks, Costa et al. ( 2016 ) were interested in the role of information, knowledge, and collaboration in the internationalisation decisions of SMEs and recently Saratchandra and Shrestha ( 2022 ) conducted a review to determine the role of cloud computing in KM for SMEs and Su and Daspit ( 2021 ) addressed KM from the perspective of family firms; i.e., they are very narrow in perspective and not able to determine the evolution of research on KM in SMEs. Consequently, the overall purpose of the paper is to structure existing research, identify its current trends, and offer a comprehensive overview of recent research strands and topics in KM in SMEs to propose promising future directions. The emphasis is placed on KM in its entirety and not on certain KM processes only. The same applies to SMEs, the focus is on all types of SMEs, i.e. smaller and larger SMEs as well as younger and older ones. Based on the findings, a framework is proposed that relates existing research on KM to SMEs.

The paper is organised as follows. In section two the literature related to the field of research is briefly discussed. Section three then describes the method employed to address the research aim. Next, the results are presented, and in the final section, the conclusion and implications of the study are laid out.

Background to the study

If the aim is to study KM in SMEs, one should also define both terms to set the frame of this paper and thus reduce the danger of misunderstanding. SMEs can be defined using different ways, in the literature one can find qualitative and quantitative approaches. As regards qualitative approaches, they appear to highlight the close relationship between owner and company as well as the aspect of independence, i.e. the firm is not part of a larger firm and the owner is relatively free from external control in making her strategic and operative decisions (Durst and Bruns 2018 ). Quantitative approaches to defining SMEs, however, seem to dominate. More precisely, it seems that the EU definition of SMEs has prevailed. The definition uses three criteria namely staff headcount, annual turnover and annual balance sheet to determine whether one speaks of micro, small or medium-sized enterprises. More precisely, the definition covers micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that employ fewer than 250 persons; and have either an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million (European Commission 2020 ). Figure  1 shows the application of the three criteria to identify the category of SMEs.

Definition of SMEs according to the European Commission ( 2020 p. 11)

The EU definition has been updated in order to take into consideration that the companies vary across sectors, i.e., companies in the trade and distribution sectors, have higher turnover figures than those in manufacturing.

KM has been defined as a systematic approach to creating, sharing and leveraging knowledge within and around organisations (Bounfour 2003 ). KM has a clear long-term orientation and thus can contribute to the sustainability of organisations (Chow 2012 ). The latter matters for many smaller firms in particular, given their comparatively higher failure rate (Davidsson and Gordon, 2016 ). Although KM has been studied extensively, there is still a tendency to focus on large businesses (Durst and Edvardsson 2012 ; Massaro et al. 2016 ).

In this paper, KM in SMEs is about the processes and structures developed and maintained by SMEs to support different knowledge processes, such as creation, transfer and retention which in turn is expected to bring these firms into a better position to cope with present and forthcoming internal and external challenges. Understanding KM in SMEs is important given their role of being drivers of economic growth, employment, technological development and structural change. For example, they represent 99% of all companies in Europe. SMEs employ around 100 million people and account for more than half of Europe’s gross domestic product (European Commission 2022 ). There is research that has shown that KM drives growth, improves business performance and makes SMEs more innovative (Edvardsson and Durst 2013 ; Cardoni et al. 2020 ; Narayanan et al. 2020 ). At the same time, research has also stressed that the application of KM in general is constrained due to competing activities to which more attention is paid (Blankenship and Bruck 2008 ), this is even more of a challenge in SMEs, as fewer people have to do multiple jobs compared to large companies (Durst and Bruns 2018 ). Additionally, the central role of the founder or owner-manager has been found to influence the small firm’s approach to KM too (Grimsdottir et al. 2019 ; Lowik et al. 2012 ).

To sum up, the arguments presented above form the starting point for this study and also justify the need for reviewing existing literature on KM in SMEs in order to determine an in-depth understanding of present and emerging KM trends in SMEs.

Methodology of literature review

To present a state-of-the-art understanding of research on KM in SMEs, a systematic literature review approach was utilised. A systematic literature review is viewed as a useful tool to learn about existing research. More precisely, it can inform the creative development of future research and strengthen the arguments of researchers for such research, rather than blindly repeating what has been written before (Easterby-Smith et al. 2021 ). It is structured based on broad principles which allow replication and an easy update (Gray 2021 ). To provide a replicable review, this study was based on several steps which are presented in the following. The review also took advantage of bibliometrics, that is, the use of quantitative tools, to strengthen the review. The approach chosen is comparable to that used in reviews published in leading management journals (e.g. Kraus et al. 2022 ).

In the following, more detailed information is offered on how relevant articles were identified. It also provides information about the final number of articles involved in the present study.

To identify relevant articles on KM in SMEs, the search was carried out using Web of Science as the scientific database. This database offers a comprehensive view of worldwide research production (Sánchez et al. 2017 ). The following expressions included in the title, abstract, or keywords were used to identify relevant articles in Web of Science:

Additionally, inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed and applied in this systematic review which are shown in Table ​ Table1 1 .

Summary of inclusion and exclusion criteria

The initial search was carried out using the above-mentioned criteria but the criterion “Papers without a significant focus on KM” resulted in 355 articles. In the following steps, the papers identified were checked for any duplicates, availability (as full paper), and a lacking focus on KM in SMEs. As far as the latter is concerned, this meant that the authors excluded papers that did not have KM as their main focus but other concepts such as intellectual capital, innovation management, or learning; thus, papers where KM was of secondary priority only. The outcomes left 165 articles. This quality search and subsequent screening process was followed by a manual search in certain journals such as the Journal of Knowledge Management or Knowledge Management Research & Practice to make sure that the corpus contained all relevant and recent publications on KM in SMEs. The manual search generated 15 additional papers. After completing the individual steps, 180 articles remained. All authors were involved in this quality process.

Figure  2 summarises the steps taken for selecting relevant contributions.

Summary of paper selection process

To determine a state-of-the-art understanding of KM in SME research, the authors used different methods and procedures. More precisely, they determined the annual distributions of the papers involved, the number of citations, the journals in which the papers were published as well as the theories and methods used in the papers covered. The countries where the research took place were also identified.

Conceptual structure analysis was conducted with the Biblioshiny package in R software using thematic mapping to identify key themes from studies of KM in SMEs. Thematic mapping assists in identifying key and development of research themes (Singh and Ravi 2022 ). The thematic mapping resulted in six key themes. Each theme was discussed classifying KM into internal and external KM, i.e., focussing on the locus where KM is conducted, while drawing from the archetypes of open innovation as proposed by Gassmann and Enkel ( 2004 ), the authors added the coupled process, more precisely the underlying notion of this archetype, to the classification and labeled it “hybrid KM”. Additionally, the articles were analysed to identify the most frequently mentioned keywords to help establish an understanding of the key concepts studied in the papers covered in this review. A citation analysis was conducted as well to gain insight into the impact and influence of KM in SMEs research.

Presentation of findings

In this section, the findings of the systematic literature review are presented. It is started with an overview of publication activities since 2012, followed by the journals in which research on KM in SMEs has been published and the regional distribution of the research covered in this paper. After that insight into the theories and methods used are provided. The findings are then also assigned to broader themes to reveal more nuances found with regard to research on KM in SMEs. The section closes with a citation analysis to highlight the impact of KM in SME research.

Publication activity since 2012

As can be seen from Fig.  3 there has been a rising interest by researchers in the topic of KM in SMEs. The figure indicates that there are more published papers after 2017 than earlier, and the peak was reached in 2021 when 34 papers were published. The increase of publications recently could be attributed among other things to the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects, which may have led SMEs to invest more in KM in order to remain able to act during and after the pandemic. An example can be found in Azyabi’s ( 2021 ) study, which showed that the IT capabilities of SMEs are mediated by KM as a response to the disruption the Covid-19 pandemic caused. The struggles SMEs, in particular, had at the onset of the pandemic, given their limited resources, fueled debates around the topic, since many of them have been hit hard by the pandemic, which is also reflected in an increase in publications.

The number of papers published each year from 2012

Journals in the review

The publications analysed in this review are distributed across 75 journals. Out of the 180 papers, 89 were published in the leading KM journals (Serenko 2021 ), i.e., Journal of Knowledge Management, Knowledge Management Research and Practice, and VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems , which represent over 46 percent of the total number of papers reviewed. There is no surprise in this result, given the scope of these journals. The remaining journals, including journals such as Journal of Business Research , Technology in Society or Journal of Intellectual Capital have an Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) ranking of A* or A, and a Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) rating which demonstrates that topics related to KM in SMEs are accepted and published in highly ranked journals.

Regional distribution of KM in SMEs research

Figure  4 displays the regional distribution of KM in SME research. It is evident that the geographical distribution of countries in the articles reviewed encompasses all continents. The figure shows that the majority of studies were conducted in Europe (52%), followed by Asia (34%), South America (4%), and the remaining continents, i.e., Africa, Oceania and North America. Studies that covered countries from more than one continent were categorised as cross-continent. Six papers did not provide information about the location of the study, while six papers were theoretical in nature and eight were review papers without any reference to the location. Studies conducted in Europe focused on countries like Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom (e.g. Barboza and Capocchi 2020 ; Martinez-Conesa et al. 2017 ; Martins 2016 ).

The decade covered in this review was divided into four different periods, i.e., 2012–2014, 2015–2017, 2018–2020 and 2021–2022. As regards Europe, for example, in the first period (2012–2014) eleven papers were published while a total of twenty-six papers were published in the second period (2015–2017). In the third period, (2018–2020), twenty-five papers were published, followed by twenty-one papers in the fourth period (2021–2022).

Studies assigned to Asia are from China, India, Indonesia, Jordan, and Malaysia (e.g. Chong et al. 2014 ; Gu et al. 2021 ; Uma Mageswari et al. 2017 ; Wahyono 2020 ). According to the period-period analysis, twenty-five papers were published in 2018–2020, and twelve and fourteen papers were published in 2015–2017 and 2021–2022, respectively. The remaining four papers were published between 2012 and 2014.

In South America, countries with representation are Brazil, Colombia and Mexico (e.g. Marques et al. 2020 ; Valdez-Juárez et al. 2018 ). During the period from 2015 to 2020, a total of seven papers were published. Between 2012–2014 and 2021–2022, there were no studies published.

African studies focused on Ghana, Malawi and South Africa (e.g. Boateng et al. 2021 ; Chawinga and Chipeta 2017 ; Whyte and Classen 2012 ). Oceania studies involved Australia and New Zealand (e.g. Miklosik et al. 2019 ; Roxas et al. 2014 ). North America studies focused on Canada and the United States of America (e.g. Liao and Barnes 2015 ; Raymond et al. 2016 ). Lastly, the cross-continent study was focused on Europe-USA (i.e. Feller et al. 2013 ).

The comparison at the regional level makes clear that there is a lack of cross-continental studies examining KM in SMEs, so it is important for future research to focus more on this type of study in order to address broader contextual issues as a means to learn about similarities and differences regarding KM in SMEs across countries. Furthermore, the authors call for more studies to be conducted on continents lacking research on KM in SMEs such as Africa, the Americas and Oceania. In so doing, one would give attention to Durst’s ( 2021 ) call for inclusive KM research efforts at the world level.

Theories and theoretical perspectives

To better understand the theoretical landscape underpinning KM in SMEs research over time, the authors also conducted a periodic-based analysis. As before four periods were used. In the first period (2012–2014), there were two studies each that utilised the resource-based view (RBV), technology-organisation-environment (TOE) theory and dynamic capability and three studies applied the knowledge-based view (KBV). While one study applied Nonaka and Takeuchi’s SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization) model.

The second period (2015–2017) was characterised by the introduction of several theories/theoretical frameworks such as the theory of reasoned action (TRA), self-determination theory, sense-making theory, organisational learning theory, contingent theory, social exchange theory, relational-based view, and absorptive capacity. The application of KBV continued in this period (e.g. Alvarez et al. 2016 ; Martinez-Conesa et al. 2017 ).

Further theories were introduced to the study of KM in SMEs during the third period (2018–2020). In terms of popularity, social capital theory led the way having featured in three different studies, followed by the market sensing capability theory (two studies) and one study each of inter-organisational transfer theory, social cognitive theory, and institutional theory. The analysis of this period also stressed that the KBV and dynamic capability remained the dominating theory which were applied in seven studies each, followed by RBV (in six studies), and absorptive capability with four studies.

As regards the most recent period 2021–2022, despite the introduction of internationalisation theory (period 2021–2022), the dynamic capability was popularly used (five studies), while KBV and RBV had four and three studies, respectively. Figure  5 summarises the theoretical perspectives used in the papers studied and highlights the preferred theoretical perspectives, i.e. KBV, dynamic capabilities, RBV and absorptive capacities, in the field under investigation.

Theories used in research on KM in SMEs

Methodological peculiarities of KM in SMEs research

Table ​ Table2 2 presents an overview of the methodological design used in KM in SME research. It is shown in the analysis that the 180 papers can be categorised into five methodological designs. Quantitative research accounted for the majority of the papers with 111 papers representing 62%. Qualitative research approaches are the second most popular methodological design, comprising 50 papers (28%). Eight papers were classified as review studies. Out of the remaining eleven papers, six were conceptual studies and five used a mixed methods research design. In sum, a focus on the application of mono-methods is clear (ongoing).

Methodological design of KM in SMEs research

The data collection methods used for KM in SME research are presented in Table ​ Table3. 3 . Most studies relied on surveys (66%), case studies (22%), and interviews (7%) to collect data; thus traditional data collection methods. The use of different data collection methods (mixed methods) (3%), field studies (1%), and databases (1%) are rarely used. The use of alternative data collection instruments seems to be a need in this research field that should be addressed in future studies in order to better address the complexity of KM in SMEs.

Data collection method of KM in SMEs research

*The conceptual and review papers are excluded which explains the difference between the total number of papers included in the review and those addressed in this table

The data analysis techniques used in the reviewed articles are shown in Table ​ Table4. 4 . The structural equation modelling (SEM) family is the most popular and frequently used technique, which includes the general SEM, covariance-based SEM, and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). In total, 61 of the 180 articles used one of the SEM techniques in the data analysis, followed by thematic analysis, which was used in 25 articles and accounted for sixteen percent of all the techniques identified. Several studies also employed descriptive analysis, while a few studies applied cluster analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) among others.

Data analysis technique used in KM in SMEs research

In summary, the research methods used in KM in SMEs are of a traditional nature and are very narrow. As far as data analysis methods are concerned, in some papers, the focus seems to be mainly on the application of a particular method, which raises the old issue of which should come first—the problem or the method?

KM in SMEs research according to KM classifications

In this section, the outcomes of assigning each paper to one of the three components of the KM classification (internal, external, and hybrid) are presented.

Internal knowledge management

In this paper, internal KM is defined as the process whereby an organisation's internal knowledge is utilised to achieve value through KM processes. The review of the papers reveals that a significant portion of them focuses on internal KM. These papers often reflect how SMEs have mostly relied on existing or internally generated knowledge to improve their companies. Thereby, the links to innovation and performance are the most researched topics.

To continuously improve the companies, research has shown that SMEs are quite active. Recognising, for example, the crucial role of employee creativity, Fan et al. ( 2017 ) examine the link between KM, leadership style, behaviour, motivation and innovation among Bangladeshi SMEs. Internal resources can also be utilised to support knowledge sharing, which in turn has a positive impact on innovation in SMEs (Soto-Acosta et al. 2014 ). García-Piqueres et al. ( 2019 ) investigate the association between KM practices and innovation outcomes. The findings indicate that internal knowledge creation has received particular attention, for example, “there is a strong commitment to depend on internal R&D activities to develop or improve technologies” (p. 7). Perez-Soltero et al. ( 2016 ) develop a performance-based methodology for improving an organisation’s team knowledge.

SMEs too, make increasing use of different tools to support their KM. A study by Bolisani and Scarso ( 2016 ) examines the factors associated with SMEs' use of Web 2.0 technologies to enhance internal KM. The role of collaboration from an internal KM perspective has been addressed as well, by stressing the importance of collaboration between internal stakeholders, such as employees and managers for new knowledge creation. In this context, the framework for KM enablers based on internal collaboration, trust, SME networks, transformational leadership, IT support, and KM processes developed by Narayanan et al. ( 2020 ) can be named.

External knowledge management

The term "external knowledge management" refers to the process by which organisations acquire knowledge from external sources in order to continuously develop the company and its offering. Several papers could also be assigned to external KM. These studies investigated how SMEs take advantage of external knowledge sources to develop further by acknowledging their limited internal sources. Knowledge is acquired from or jointly developed with different external stakeholders (e.g. customers, suppliers, competitors, befriended companies, universities, etc.) typically by the means of collaborative agreements such as strategic alliances, partnerships, networks, or clusters. The topic that attracted the most interest among researchers is capability, primarily absorptive capacity, which should enable SMEs to absorb, integrate, transform, and utilise external knowledge. This emphasis is not surprising given the role of capabilities for businesses in general and thus for KM as well.

Relational capital is a critical asset for companies with limited resources (Paoloni and Modaffari 2022 ). In particular, SMEs rely on relational capital to strengthen their internal capability to innovate. Taking advantage of this rationale, Roxas and Chadee’s ( 2016 ) study reveals that KM orientation—the extent to which a firm can search, acquire, assimilate, and integrate external knowledge—is an important factor in improving relational capital and thereby increasing innovation capability. Al-Jabri and Al-Busaidi ( 2018 ) have shown that knowledge transfer from outside the organisation (in their study from other organisations) enhances internal learning capabilities because when external knowledge is acquired it is often new and unknown to employees which gives room to the development of new competencies as part of the learning process. Taghizadeh et al. ( 2021a ) stressed how essential it is for small firms to possess capabilities to gain access to knowledge beyond the boundaries of the organisation. Absorptive capacity has been found relevant to enhancing the acquisition and exploitation of external knowledge in several studies. For example, Costa et al. ( 2016 ) demonstrate that the acquisition of knowledge alone is not sufficient to promote innovation; only when knowledge acquisition is combined with absorption capacity and knowledge sharing, innovation outcomes can be enhanced significantly. According to Scuotto et al. ( 2017 ), cognitive factors and absorptive capacity substantially influence the choice of informal inbound-open innovation, where external knowledge is preferably the key focus. Bell and Cooper ( 2018 ) are on the other hand of the view that absorptive capacity facilitates the internalisation of knowledge acquired from external sources. While in an effort to investigate the nature of capabilities within an environment in which external knowledge acquisition is overly valued, Senivongse et al. ( 2019 ) conducted a study among highly dynamic IT SMEs. From the result, it is revealed that absorptive capacity dominates.

Hybrid KM brings together internal and external knowledge, thereby harnessing the benefits of both internal and external KM practices synchronously. Thus for a small firm, hybrid KM could involve a systematic search for and acquisition of knowledge that resides outside the organisation to blend it with the existing knowledge in order to better achieve the organisation's objectives. Given the above, deep and broad collaboration is essential for Hybrid KM.

Clusters and their formation can be considered a nice example in this context and as they require the active exchange of knowledge among the partners involved to learn from one another, combine resources and competences to compensate for individual weaknesses, and based on that develop jointly and individually. Martins and Solé ( 2013 ), for example, explored how Spanish SMEs could overcome the barriers to cluster formation. Amongst others the study underlines the critical role dynamic capability plays in the utilisation of internal and external knowledge in order to succeed with the formation.

The role of communities of practice (CoP) for different KM processes is well known. Research conducted by Pattinson and Preece ( 2014 ) shows that also SMEs use different forms of CoP as a means of supporting their KM and, in turn, innovation. According to a study by Zhou et al. ( 2021 ), SMEs that scan for external knowledge and create internal knowledge are more likely to improve their innovation performance. It has also been shown the role technology plays in the connection between internal and external knowledge for frugal innovation as presented by Dost et al. ( 2019 ). Valdez-Juárez et al. ( 2018 ) point out that external knowledge acquisition enhances internal KM in SMEs.

Thematic evolution of KM in SME research

Figure  6 shows the thematic evolution of KM in SME research between 2012–2022, as before the decade was divided into four periods to analyse the situation at hand.

Evolution of key themes in KM in SMEs research

First period (2012–2014)

As the figure shows, during this period, topics of discussion on KM in SMEs were diverse and distributed across multiple themes. A study by Wee and Chua ( 2013 ) explored the effect of barriers and enablers of KM processes on competitiveness. Durst and Wilhelm ( 2012 ) conducted interviews with a medium-sized company located in Germany to shed light on how it deals with knowledge loss as a result of turnover. Villar et al. ( 2014 ) used dynamic capability as a mediating variable to test the link between knowledge management and exports. Through the application of the SECI model, Feller et al. ( 2013 ) investigated how collaborative firms improve their research and development. Wilhelm et al. ( 2013 ) gathered insights from customers to help firms gain a better understanding of their valuable customers.

Second period (2015–2017)

In this period, the number of articles published annually decreased. Innovation received the most attention in terms of publications in this period. The topic was primarily discussed in connection with performance. There are a substantial number of studies that investigated the influence of KM processes on innovation performance (e.g. Byukusenge and Munene 2017 ; Fan et al. 2017 ; Letonja and Duh 2016 ; Maldonado-Guzmán et al. 2016 ; Soto-Acosta et al. 2017 ; Valaei 2017 ). This period was largely driven by discussions on information communication technology (ICT) as a tool for KM (e.g. Alvarez et al. 2016 ; Horvat et al. 2016 ; Lee and Wong, 2015 ; Wang and Yang 2016 , and Yasir and Majid 2017 ). In addition, there were studies that focused on KM systems (e.g. Centobelli et al. 2017 , 2018 ; Cerchione and Esposito 2017 ; Hume and Hume 2016 ). In sum, this period can be considered a technology-driven period.

Third period (2018–2020)

During this period, two previous topics were again addressed, namely product development and collaboration, contributing to the period's high number of publications. All six themes were covered again, however, even though each of the themes was discussed, an emphasis in this period was placed on furthering the understanding of organisational capabilities for KM in SMEs, including the differences between dynamic capabilities and absorptive capacities. In this regard, insightful explanations were offered by Senivongse et al. ( 2019 ), who, based on their definition, argue that the thin line that distinguishes dynamic capabilities from absorptive capacities is the unequal weighting placed on external and internal knowledge. Some articles addressed KM from an open innovation perspective (e.g. Crupi et al. 2020 ; Kim and Ahn 2020 ; Martinez-Costa et al. 2019 ; Taghizadeh et al. 2021b ). A comparison of this period with previous ones reveals nicely the increasing focus on innovation in the KM in SMEs research.

Fourth period (2021–2022)

The last period has (so far) received little or no discussion regarding innovation and collaboration. This period shows a strong focus on performance followed by capability. For example, Yusr et al. ( 2022 ) examined how total quality management practices and customer knowledge management contribute to building marketing capabilities. Kareem et al. ( 2021 ) investigated the relationship between the use of accounting information systems, capabilities, and performance among Iraqi SMEs. Zhou et al. ( 2021 ) recommended profound strategies that SMEs can leverage on in improving managerial outputs. Using technological institutes as a case study, Fotso ( 2021 ) assessed the indirect effect of cluster-based innovation policies. The study by Giampaoli et al. ( 2021 ) examined the relationship between KM, intellectual capital, planning effectiveness, and performance. Similarly, Hayaeian et al. ( 2022 ) used knowledge management strategies as moderating variables to examine the relationship between intellectual capital and performance.

Network structure of KM in SMEs research through the lens of keyword analysis

The authors also conducted a network analysis to determine the most recurrent keywords among the 180 reviewed papers. In network analysis, nodes and connectors are generally used to demonstrate linkages (Kent Baker et al. 2020 ). Figure  7 provides a visualisation of the most prominent keywords of research on KM in SMEs. The visual indicates the popularity of focussing on the impact of KM on performance which in turn is strongly linked with innovation, (business) model and (knowledge) creation. One can also observe that thirteen frequently occurring keywords relate with innovation, the strong link between SMEs and performance and innovation as well as the link between strategy and absorptive capacity.

Network structure of KM in SMEs research

The analysis of the articles suggests that the majority of existing SME research is concerned with the influence of KM on output variables, i.e. on different types of performances and types of innovations and the conditions that enable such a positive relationship; the latter goes into the direction of the existence or development of different capabilities and absorptive capacities. It is also clear that KM in SMEs research is focused on enterprise development; KM is viewed as an essential component of sustainable successful SMEs.

Impactful KM in SMEs research through the lens of citation analysis

Additionally, an analysis of citations was conducted to identify the most influential and impactful studies related to KM in SMEs. Table ​ Table5 5 presents the top ten most-cited works. The paper by Durst and Edvardsson ( 2012 ) is the paper with the highest number of citations, garnering 276 citations. The paper was published a decade ago with the goal of reviewing research on KM in SMEs in order to identify gaps and propose future research directions.

Top cited papers of KM in SMEs research

Based on data retrieved from WoS as of July 13, 2022

The articles by Scuotto et al. ( 2017 ), Alegre et al. ( 2013 ), Martinez-Conesa et al. ( 2017 ), Villar et al. ( 2014 ) were among the next most-cited publications on KM in SMEs. Scoutto et al. (2017) examined three key aspects of informal inbound open innovation (OI) through the lenses of the OI model and KBV. In Alegre et al.’s ( 2013 ) study, the impact of KM on the innovation performance of biotechnology firms was investigated. Drawing on KM capability, Martinez-Conesa et al. ( 2017 ) identified internal and external factors that influence OI in SMEs. Using the dynamic capabilities theory, Villar et al. ( 2014 ) evaluated the role of KM on SMEs export intensity. The papers by Wee and Chua ( 2013 ), Soto-Acosta et al. ( 2017 ), Massaro et al. ( 2016 ), Cerchione and Esposito ( 2017 ), and Soto-Acosta et al. ( 2014 ) represent all papers with fewer than 100 citations.

An integrated view of the KM in SMEs research

Figure  8 presents an integrated view of KM in SMEs research, which was developed by bringing together the findings of the conceptual structure analysis the discussion around the three classifications of KM. The framework details possible KM orientations (i.e. emphasising internal KM, external KM or hybrid KM) SMEs use for attaining performance and innovation. It also highlights the relevance of capabilities such as dynamic capabilities, absorptive capacities, and relational capabilities for KM in general and the three KM orientations in particular.

Conceptual framework of KM in SMEs research

As well, it is important to note that each of the three proposed KM orientations can be supported by one or more of the capabilities. As an example, the existing research highlights that both relational capabilities and absorptive capacities are crucial in the acquisition and exploitation of external knowledge (Sect.  4.6.2 ). In addition, research suggests that dynamic capabilities play an important role in capturing external knowledge and integrating it with internal knowledge to enhance innovation; as is indicated in Sect.  4.6.3 , the framework also reflects this.

The study shows that KM in SMEs research is on a growth trajectory, with an upward trend predicted for 2022. The findings of the thematic analysis reveal that "performance" has now overtaken "capabilities" in the current publications of 2022, although "capabilities" has the most publications overall. It is reasonable to expect that future research will be conducted in the area of internal KM, given that more of the existing studies that have focused on performance come from this area. According to the regional distribution analysis (Sect.  4.3 ), European researchers are primarily responsible for the growth of KM research in SMEs. It is therefore not surprising that all three KM orientations have been explored in European contexts, but not in African contexts, particularly the hybrid KM. Thus, we can argue that hybrid KM is still in its infancy and has not been explored and tested in other contexts yet.

Moreover, a closer examination of the theoretical evolution, presented in Sect.  4.7 of this study, in relation to the conceptual framework demonstrates that dynamic capabilities represent a promising area for the three KM orientations. Meanwhile, the absorptive capacity is fading in use, as its application tends to dwindle over time. In conjunction with the conceptual framework, the three KM orientations that can assist in achieving innovation and performance, there are currently no studies that are focused on innovation and only a few on performance from 2021 to date. This suggests that these KM orientations may have certain outcomes or consequences that remain unexplored yet or new ones may be forthcoming. Last but not least, the network analysis demonstrates the relevance of performance, innovation, and KM capacities of KM in SMEs research, which the framework clearly illustrates. To this end, the conceptual framework has been successful in integrating the findings derived from conceptual structure analysis of KM in SMEs research that spans from 2012 to the present.

The findings presented in this paper are drawn from a systematic literature review of 180 peer-reviewed papers published on KM in SMEs. To the knowledge of the authors, this paper is the first to address the topic of KM in SMEs in such breadth. Thus, it exceeds the scope of the existing literature that so far has been limited to certain domains (see for example Cerchione et al. 2016 ; Saratchandra and Shrestha 2022 ). The framework proposed is viewed as a solid basis for informing further research and discussions in the field.

The outcome of the review indicates that the field has developed into a rich area of research over the last decade; with a rising interest after 2018 in particular. The majority of the papers covered in the review were published in leading knowledge management journals and high impact management journals. Hence, KM in SMEs has become an acceptable topic in leading mainstream journals. Even though KM in SMEs as a research field is still new compared to KM in large organisations, the evidence provided does show several published articles in leading journals, which have been cited 100 times or more. Existing research suggests that researchers are interested in studying KM with a strong emphasis on its possible implications for the companies' overall performance and innovation, thus output-driven. Additionally, there is a great focus on studying different types of capabilities the companies need to support their KM activities and thus to come closer to improved performance and innovation. The findings suggest that capabilities are seen as a key aspect, not only in terms of being ready for KM but also able to exploit its potential.

Based on the findings several research gaps can be identified and hence there are several ways future research could go to address these gaps. The following provides some proposals:

• Research on KM in SMEs is dominated by contributions from Europe followed by Asia, other regions of the world have received less attention. It is highly recommended that future research sheds light on KM in SMEs in these regions too, considering that SMEs play a vital role in the development and prosperity of societies and economies.
• The key themes of interest regarding KM in SMEs research are capabilities, performance and innovation. Considering both present and upcoming societal challenges, topics such as sustainability, digitalization, risks and strategic flexibility in relation to KM in SMEs appear relevant and promising fields of research.
• The variety of theories used in the context of SME studies has increased over the years. In addition to the classic theories/theoretical approaches such as KBV, RBV, dynamic capabilities, new theories have emerged. This is a development that should be continued. This should also include the application of the classical theories in new ways. Consequently, a combination of classical and new theories is postulated.
• The evaluation of the methodological approaches of current KM in SME research shows that the majority of the research is designed for theory testing. This development should be questioned and researchers in the field should (increasingly) be open to alternative methodological approaches to advance the understanding of KM in SMEs in a relevant and meaningful way.
• The use of the structural equation modelling (SEM) family has proved to be very popular, although nothing speaks against this technique, the authors appeal for a greater variety of methods regarding both data collection and analysis; experiments, observations but also qualitative comparative analysis techniques seem relevant and useful in this regard, to name a few examples.

It can therefore be said that research in the field of KM in SMEs has increased steadily over the last decade, which can be seen as promising and thus increasingly reflecting the importance of SMEs for societies. However, the results of the literature review also show that there are still many research opportunities open.

Future research could explore how SMEs amend their KM approaches to meet present and forthcoming social, environmental and technological challenges. Future research could also expand our understanding of how the relationship between accessibility to recent and updated knowledge and strategic management affects sustainable business development in SMEs. The importance of continuously updating and transferring knowledge in the small firms as well as the accessibility of affordable digital tools and solutions for KM can also be avenues for future research. The issue of retaining critical knowledge could be another relevant topic, perhaps even more so than in the past, as dependence on IT solutions increases, which in turn may encourage the forgetting of relevant capabilities and competencies. The study of collaborative agreements in the context of KM in SMEs still appears to be a relevant issue. Future research could focus more on the importance of individual partners for sustainable KM in SMEs. How and when is knowledge generated with these different partners? How is the knowledge transferred? How do SMEs protect their knowledge from the increasing number of cyberattacks? Against the backdrop of the link between KM and innovation and ultimately performance, on what basis do decision-makers of SMEs know that KM is paying off for the company? How does this perception change over time, e.g. in case of internal or external crises? A limitation of this study is that the authors only searched the Web of Science database which might have the possible consequence that some articles in the field of KM in SMEs may have been missed. The exclusive use of the term KM/knowledge management in the search may also have resulted in isolated papers not being included in this review. Future works could include a wider range of databases and search terms.

In summary, this paper has developed and presented a detailed and comprehensive overview of current accomplishments in KM research dedicated to SMEs published in leading journals between 2012 and 2022. The authors of this paper believe that the paper makes a relevant and noteworthy contribution to KM in SMEs research through the developed and presented state-of-the-art overview. More precisely, this paper has presented a thorough synopsis of KM in SMEs research published in the last decade (2012–2022) by covering publication activity, regional distribution of research as well as theoretical, methodological and thematic features. Based on the overview established which was the outcome of a systematic approach to literature review the identification and formulation of promising avenues for future research was possible which will hopefully encourage more rigour research on KM in SMEs.

The findings presented are viewed as relevant not only to researchers but also to SME decision-makers as well as other stakeholders interested in SMEs and their sustained development (e.g. policymakers, consultants, business lecturers, etc.). For example, the findings of this study provide useful information to SME decision-makers for understanding both the opportunities and challenges arising from KM. This improved understanding can be crucial in terms of relationships with relevant stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and business partners which typically play a great role in KM in SMEs; the ongoing structural changes, as well as societal challenges, call for even more collaboration between different actors to increase the likelihood of mastering them. This improved understanding is also relevant for preparing the SMEs internally, helping place them in a better position to cope with KM and its effects on the business and its operations. Depending on the KM orientation, different investments are necessary for the areas of education, training, and (digital) infrastructure.

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

Data availability

Declarations.

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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• Uma Mageswari SD, Sivasubramanian RC, Dath TNS. A comprehensive analysis of knowledge management in Indian manufacturing companies. J Manuf Technol Manag. 2017; 28 (4):506–530. doi: 10.1108/JMTM-08-2016-0107. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
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Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

On value creation from knowledge management systems public deposited, downloadable content.

Knowledge management systems (KMS) are a class of information systems used by organizations to support knowledge management initiatives. KMS come in many different forms, and serve multiple purposes in organizations. The pervasive implementation of KMS in practice has driven a continuing interest for information systems researchers to gain new insights into its multifaceted purpose. In theorizing the role of KMS in organizations, the majority of scholars have considered its potential in facilitating a wide range of knowledge management processes. Emerging from this early theoretical background, more recent empirical research has developed a firm understanding of the determinants of KMS use but is less clear on how KMS use influences task performance. As such, while theoretical literature has delivered valuable insights into the purposes that KMS serve, and empirical studies have revealed a broad range of antecedents of KMS usage, the central role of the human actor in using KMS to enhance performance has been underemphasized. This dissertation attempts to advance the understanding of how the use of KMS generates sustained value for organizations. In so doing, it builds from prior developments in information system use, organizational learning, and group learning literatures to draw new insights into how actors interact with technology to achieve desired task outcomes in the context of knowledge management.This dissertation presents three papers which help to advance knowledge management research by expanding the KMS usage nomological network and identifying mechanisms which enable value creation. The first paper reviews empirical KMS articles published between 2001 and 2013 and suggests directions for future research. It presents a view of KMS as a socio-technical system with the primary purpose of transferring knowledge throughout the organization. This paper develops a guiding review framework identifying the organizational elements, behavioral actions, and knowledge outcomes that are inherent in KMS and argues that behavioral actions and knowledge outcomes may be viewed in future research as integrated parts of two value generating sub-processes: learning from technology and learning from task. I argue that the interplay between these sub-processes may present organizations with sustained value by helping to circulate knowledge between all three elements.The second paper examines how acquisition behavior influences individual performance. Based on the assessment of acquisition constructs used in prior empirical research, and notions from self-regulation theory, I argue that acquisition behavior in the context of knowledge management consists of two primary dimensions: acquisition frequency and acquisition intensity. Furthermore, drawing from arguments in social cognitive theory, I build the case that the performance effects of each behavior are contingent on the personal knowledge (measured as professional experience) and social knowledge (measured as team participation) available to the acquiring individual. I test these hypotheses using a dataset of 18,219 real estate agents participating in a large real estate franchise through the use of hierarchical linear modelling (HLM), nesting individual agents within their franchise office and county. I find that the effects of acquisition frequency and acquisition intensity are positive and significant onto performance. Furthermore, acquisition frequency positively interacts with team membership while acquisition intensity positively interacts with professional experience.Lastly, the third paper examines the influence of repository KMS usage on group performance when considering the contingencies of group composition. Building from the notion of learning mechanisms, I conceptualize repository KMS usage as a group learning mechanism which increases the amount of organizational knowledge disseminating throughout the work group. Additionally, I identify three

• Sweeney, Jeffrey R.
• Montealegre, Ramiro
• Roberts, Nick
• Iyengar, Kishen
• Larsen, Kai
• University of Colorado Boulder
• Value of Information Technology
• Organizational Learning
• Information Technology Use
• Knowledge Management Systems
• Group Learning
• Knowledge Management
• Dissertation
• In Copyright
• English [eng]

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PhD Thesis: Knowledge management during an economic crisis: The case of Greek firms

Knowledge management is a concept which has emerged during the previous years. The present thesis aims to explore knowledge management in relation to the economic crisis using the case of Greek firms. For that purpose a sample of 120 employees was selected from firms in various sectors, and an additional 11 managers and employees were interviewed. The results of the research indicate that employees have an overall positive perception over knowledge management but there are some issues, mostly having to do with corporate culture and the lack of use of state-of-the-art KM information systems. However, knowledge management can be a vehicle of development for firms that seek to exit from the economic crisis. Hence, firms should not allow the economic crisis to drive them into reductions of knowledge management programs and strategies, but instead should focus on utilizing knowledge management so as to improve their performance

Related Papers

Albena Antonova , Nikos Katsiadakis

Knowledge Management (ΚΜ) is a new scientific discipline, and has found a special attention among the academic and the business community during the last decades. The main reason is that knowledge became an important factor for economic development and a strategic resource of enterprises and organizations for gaining competitive advantages. The present paper presents the main results of studies carried out in enterprises and organizations in Greece and Bulgaria. The study conducted in Bulgaria was supported by TRAINMOR-KNOWMORE project within the Leonardo Da Vinci program of the European Commission while the Greek survey was supported by the project DIORGONOSI, within the framework of Operational Program Competitiveness, General Secretariat for Research & Technology, Ministry of Development. The paper outlines on first place the methodology of the study conducted with the support of several management executives, workers and employees. It is based on the findings of a literature rev...

Panagiotis Kyriazopoulos

Muhammad Saqib

Knowledge is the currency of today's economy and the crux of knowledge management, which in turn the lifeline of modern-day organizations. It has been used since 1990s as a tool to achieve sustainable competitive advantages and greater performance, and now, it is becoming an essential asset to sustain organizational competitive advantages and a vehicle for continuous progress and innovation. It is every organization's objective to be able to grow and progress whether it is an SME or a large enterprise so to ensure that there is return on investment of the shareholders and this objective can be met through sustainable superior organizational performance. There are many determinants that may influence organizational performance operating in the current economy but one that is being increasingly recognized as vital is knowledge management. This article has two objectives: The first is to provide an overview of knowledge management and highlight the importance of this field of practice, and the second is to provide few case studies of the successful implementation of knowledge management from different industries. Thus, we will further explore the notion that knowledge management positively impacts organizational performance through the analysis of a number of case studies where knowledge management is being practiced. We will start by highlighting the general interpretation of organizations, the current economy within which they are operating, the concept of knowledge management and how it may be used within organizations. This will be followed by an analysis of cases of knowledge management being practiced and the impact it has had on the overall performances, and finally present our argument that suggest knowledge management positively impacts organizational performances.

Dr. Chris Mantas

Abstract The concept of Learning Organisation (LO) has become a key theme for organisations operating in turbulent working environments. During the past years, there is a growing tendency by contemporary organisations adopting Knowledge Management (KM) approaches to produce core competencies. Just like the similarities and differences that both LO and KM may have, academics and practitioners shift their focus on the positive side of the aforementioned concepts. However, the present paper discusses a range of potential negative consequences, such as the concept of organisational conflict, that the adoption of LO and KM might bring into surface. This paper aims to serve as a critical pilot study for examining the conditions under which Greek-based enterprises implement the concepts of LO and KM in their working practices. Through the conduction of in-depth interviews with twenty executives and managers working in Greek-based enterprises, the authors scrutinize three issues. Primarily, this study explores the interviewees’ lack of knowledge and understanding regarding the concepts of LO and KM. Secondly, the authors aim to recognize to what extent the adoption of the aforementioned concepts are influenced by the Greek societal values. Finally, based on the subjects’ responses, this pilot study critically discusses the general belief that LO and KM are just an excuse for downsizing and for altering power relations within an organisation. Keywords: Knowledge Management, Learning Organisation, Conflict, Criticism

John Garrick

Abstract: This paper draws on Jean-François Lyotard’s (1984) seminal study The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge to reflect on two macro-level catastrophes: the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2009 (and its continuing effects throughout the Eurozone and elsewhere) and Fukushima. These two case studies probe aspects of these grand failures to reveal serious deficiencies in integrity at work, the changing nature of contemporary working relationships, knowledge management and fashionable new approaches to organisational learning. The paper draws upon Lyotard’s ‘performativity theory’ to examine how people in commercial enterprises may often define ‘knowledge’, how this is transferred and how, in turn, managing this knowledge affects working relationships, learning and change.

Journal of Knowledge Management

Satyendra Singh

http://mmm-gi.blogspot.com/p/no3year-2013.html

Geo - See , Anita Cucovic

Abstract:It is an undisputed fact that this is the age of knowledge and a time of constant changes which are unpredictable. The globalisation trends and ever increasing networking of economy, information, technology, management (…) give rise to intellectual and group knowledge, namely to intellectual capital as the nonmaterial part of an organisation’s capital. Formal education is not sufficient, and further training is required in line with contemporary requirements which the market imposes, in addition to it not providing development of personal skills which are necessary in everyday management, and which in synergy with professional knowledge provide for the proper results. Today, knowledge represents the most important capital of an enterprise, and it is necessary to develop an efficient and effective system of managing this resource, as it is that in particular which provides greater productivity, innovation, more qualitative performance of business activities, and provides competitive advantage. In previous periods the emphasis within organisations was on technology and technological changes, while today, in the age of knowledge technology continues to be important, but only as a product of internal engagement of intellectual capacities. Therefore, this imposes the fact that only through successful knowledge management enterprises are able to successfully manage their business.

Edlira Margilaj

The fast pace of globalization and technological progress has dramatically changed market conditions and competition strategies. In present-day society based on knowledge, or "knowledge - based society", the amount of knowledge in use has increased considerably and it has produced many challenges for its (knowledge) control and management. Knowledge Management - KM is becoming nowadays one of the most significant practices of companies in developed countries aiming at the increase of profits and competitive advantages. For a successful implementation of Knowledge Management, it is important the identification of barriers or critical factors which affect the success of the KM process. Most of these factors belong to human department. The purpose of this study is to investigate the recognition and implementation of Knowledge Management in business organizations in Albania, as well as to reveal some of the barriers and critical success factors of KM in such organizations. In ...

Bhojaraju Gunjal

Journal of Organizational Change Management

John Edwards

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Date published July 27 2020 by Stella Carter

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The aim of the study is to conduct a correlative analysis to determine the association and link between knowledge management (KM) and the strategic sustainable development (SSD). The research aims to analyze the role of knowledge management in organizations that practice Strategic sustainable development. Furthermore, the research also aims to elaborate on the state-of-art of knowledge management for the SSD.

The primary objective of the study is to achieve the aim. However, the aim of the study can be achieved through various secondary objectives. Therefore, the secondary objectives of the study are the following:

• To evaluate the association between knowledge management and strategic sustainable development.
• To analyze the role of strategic sustainable development in the management of knowledge.
• To determine how the theory of knowledge management and its expertise certainly relate to strategic sustainable knowledge.
• To analyze the knowledge management practice in an organization by applying sustainable strategic knowledge.
• To investigate how the companies, apply strategic sustainable knowledge to operate knowledge management.

The aim of the study is to conduct an analysis of the utilization of knowledge management in the call centres. The research aims to study how implementing knowledge management in the call centre can certainly enhance consumer satisfaction. Therefore, the aim of the study is to discuss the role of consumer services in the call centres and the role of knowledge management in the call centre for enhancing consumer services. Additionally, the focus of the research will be on determining the factors which have an impact on knowledge management. The research aims to shed light on the association of knowledge management and call centres. The overall purpose of the study is to develop an in-depth understanding of the role of knowledge management in the call centres and how it will drive consumer satisfaction.

• To study the concept of knowledge management.
• To discuss different models of knowledge management.
• To evaluate the association between call centres and knowledge management.
• To analyze the role of knowledge management in driving consumer satisfaction in the call centres.

The aim of the study is to examine the lesson learned factor in knowledge management. The research aims to study the role of knowledge management in the industry of construction. Therefore, the aim of the study is to analyze the management of knowledge to correct market failure in information dissemination and information generation. The research will emphasize the institution and policies that enable the country to continuously assess the knowledge of construction and attain a higher level of quality in construction with a short period of time.

• To analyze the role of knowledge management in the industry of construction.
• To determine the impact of knowledge management on the construction industry.
• To evaluate how knowledge management can lead to the success of the project.

The aim of the study is to analyze the significant effect of sharing unequal knowledge among the two countries. The research will aim at how it will certainly impact the developmental change rate.

• To determine the significance of knowledge sharing.
• To evaluate the role of knowledge sharing in the country.
• To analyze those factors which certainly influence the sharing of knowledge.
• To determine the significance of knowledge sharing with regards to the development of the country.
• To analyze the impact of unequal sharing of knowledge between 2 countries.
• To evaluate the knowledge management approaches
• To determine the impact of knowledge sharing on the innovation of the country.
• To discuss the sharing of knowledge within organizations.

The aim of the study is to determine the implementation of knowledge management in startups and small-scale organization. The aim of the study is to determine the similarities and difference between the startups and temporary organization. The research aims to determine the knowledge management use on the transition of the startup business to a semi-permanent business. Furthermore, the aim of the study is to determine the implementation of knowledge management within the startup.  Additionally, the research also aims to determine the process of transition of the start-up that is from a temporary business to a semi-permanent. Therefore, the aim of the study is to analyze the role played by knowledge management in the startup or small-scale organization.

• To determine the implementation of knowledge management in the learning of the organization.
• To determine how knowledge management impact startups or small-scale businesses.
• To analyze the implementation process of knowledge management in startups or small-scale organization.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of knowledge management in startups or small-scale organization.

The aim of the study is to conduct a novel analysis on the knowledge management uniqueness in startups and small companies. The research aims to analyze how knowledge management can act as an effective strategy for enduring learning. Additionally, the research aims to study the knowledge management with the aspect of training demand in a private, small organization and in those organization, which are knowledge-intensive.

• To analyze the significance of knowledge management in organizations.
• To compare and analyze the environment which enables knowledge in small companies.
• To evaluate the knowledge management uniqueness in small companies.
• To analyze how effective management of knowledge can act as a good strategy for long-term learning.

Aims and Objectives As per the study of Souag et al., (2016), in a knowledge-driven economy, organisations constantly seek different ways to achieve long-term success, organisational growth and sustainability. In addition, knowledge management has been established to empower organisations with multiple supporting tools, methods, processes and theories. This help in bridging the gap between standard processes and task-based reality. Although, knowledge gaps related to design problems are unclear for which designers seek direction rather than the solution. Many organisations have faced critical challenges related to product-design, which led to the increased demand for reusing existing knowledge efficiently. Moreover, engineers apply best practices to continuously improve their working methodology which helps in enhancing incremental product development.

This helps in improving design-related issues which creates either negative or positive consequences for the organisation. Therefore, this study aims to provide the pathway for engineers to enhance their knowledge by utilising reuse of engineering knowledge through the perspectives of experience-based codified knowledge in incremental product development in the UK manufacturing firms. The objectives are;

• To identify the concept of knowledge reuse in the engineering context.
• To critically evaluate the characteristics and factors of codified knowledge that supports knowledge reuse.
• To assess the use of knowledge reuse in enhancing incremental product development in UK manufacturing firms.

Aims and Objectives According to the study of Ahmady et al., (2016), knowledge management and decision-making strategies are the crucial factors in the development of the organisation. Knowledge Management provides a framework for understanding knowledge operations and infrastructure to support the organisational growth. In addition, new systematic perspectives have been developed related to soft system thinking, critical system thinking and so on in the context of knowledge management. This has provided an innovative way of thinking and useful toolbox for enhancing knowledge management processes among practical users.

Many of the researchers have identified the strong association of knowledge management systems and organisational structure through which organisation develop, simulate, create, and protect knowledge. The KM processes play a vital role in enhancing organisational growth by innovating business models and other operations. However, this study focuses on different knowledge management theories and their contributions on systems thinking, decision making and organisational learning. The objectives of this study are listed below;

• To examine the relationship between knowledge management and organisational structure.
• To analyse different knowledge management theories that help in enhancing the knowledge management practices in the organisation.
• To critically evaluate different influencing factors and enablers of knowledge management in the organisation.

Aims and Objectives Schuller (2017) elaborated that due to increased global competition, knowledge-based resources are considered one of the significant factors for achieving competitive advantage in the firms. In addition, transferring knowledge has become a prominent problem for the large parent companies. Thus, knowledge tends to be sticky and difficult to transfer due to various contextual variables including, transfer implementation and internalisation. Moreover, the increase in knowledge stickiness beyond a certain limit can also deter the success of transferring knowledge. The concept of stickiness initially refers to the cost of sharing and accessing information for technical innovation due to knowledge management practices and its integration in the organisation. In addition, social embeddedness is an essential component that helps in expediting efficient knowledge transfer mechanism from the corporation to its subsidiary by ensuring corporate responsibility, minimising redundancy, and reducing costs. Therefore, this study aims to focus on unpacking stickiness from the perspectives of knowledge transfer approach. Following are the objectives of the study;

• To identify the contents of the origin of knowledge stickiness and the influence of knowledge characteristics on unpacking stickiness.
• To critically evaluate various organisation-specific factors for determining knowledge stickiness and knowledge transfer success.
• To analyse the barriers and challenges that make the transfer process difficult.
• To identify the characteristics of technical and social systems that are required to support knowledge transfer in different contexts.

Aims and Objectives As per the study of Smuts and Maramba (2020), the rapid evolutions in the organisations has increased the demand for knowledge management to transform old processes into new models for managing information. Moreover, knowledge management practices are considered essential for implementing effective strategic and technical planning to achieve long-term sustainability. Though, the resources of KM helps the organisations to enhance the capability of innovating the process which further supports different ways to achieve competitive advantage. In both, international and national environments, companies possessing more knowledge has the greater chance of achieving long-term success, thus, it is effective to utilise KM practices efficiently to gain strategic competence and sustainability.

This has increased the companies' core competencies resulting in the sustainability of competitive advantage. However, this study aims to evaluate how knowledge practices have become an essential asset for the organisation to gain a competitive advantage in both internal and national environments. The objectives are listed below;

• To understand the significance of knowledge management and its practices within the organisation.
• To examine different aspects of knowledge management as the source of sustainable competitive advantage in the organisation.
• To assess the impact of knowledge management and practices on the sustainable competitive advantage of the firms in a national and international environment.
• To explore certain issues in the integration of knowledge management and transferring process to attain long-term sustainability.

Aims and Objectives As per the study of Soto-Acosta and Cegarra-Navarro (2016), technical innovation is one of the significant aspects to provide sustainable growth and survival in a highly competitive market. For this purpose, organisations seeks ways to encourage innovation by exploiting potential resources and practices of advanced knowledge. To manage these resources efficiently, emerging changes associated with the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) tools are implemented for the management of knowledge flows. Moreover, the integration of technology has enhanced the organisational process by taking knowledge management initiatives to foster trust, cooperation and innovation in the organisation. Thus, this study mainly focuses on identifying and exploring the role of ICT and information systems (IS) for facilitating efficient knowledge management systems in the organisations. The objectives of this study are;

• To recognise the reality and utilisation of emerging ICT tools and information systems in organisational development.
• To assess the impact of ICT tools and knowledge management practices in various dimensions within the organisation.
• To provide a conceptual framework for highlighting the utilisation of ICT and IS for facilitating knowledge management processes in the organisations.
• To identify future trends, opportunities and challenges associated with the integration of ICT and IS for facilitating knowledge management in organisations.

Aims and Objectives Pathak and Nigam (2017) highlighted the prominent factors that helped the firm to manage its growing focus related to the knowledge management (KM). Out of the different processes, knowledge harvesting is the significant process of KM, which helps in managing the interviews of experts, documenting knowledge, and forming knowledge strategies to foster collaboration and effectiveness within the organisation. Considering the application of knowledge management and its flow from parent companies to their joint venture (the child) has been a complex issue related to harvesting knowledge. Transfer and transformation of knowledge in between parent companies and its joint venture highlight the major processes of harvesting knowledge.

Therefore, the main aim behind this study is to explore important factors which facilitate knowledge harvesting and identify its importance for the parent companies. This study includes a case study of Alphabet, which is a parent company of Google. The objectives of this study are listed below;

• To investigate the importance of knowledge harvesting for parent companies.
• To critically evaluate the factors that facilitate knowledge harvesting by integrating the case study of Alphabet (Parent) and Google (Child) firms.
• To identify the barriers and opportunities in managing knowledge harvesting process in parent companies and joint ventures.

Aims and Objectives Massingham and Al Holaibi (2017) evaluated that knowledge management is a process of creating an environment for skilled individuals to utilise their expertise and knowledge in the development of an organisation. In addition, the dynamic nature of the market these days, demand highly organised and structure systems in order to achieve satisfactory levels, efficiency, flexibility and service. Thus, business development processes highly rely on the intensive use of KM methods which enables information for deploying successful business strategic outcomes. These outcomes help in processing information on both internal and external factors for the proper alignment of the goals and objectives.

Considering the perspectives of KM, human capital is one of the significant resources of the organisation for achieving long-term benefits. Though, in certain cases, it becomes harder for the companies to manage human skills and intelligence for the benefit of the firm. Therefore, this study aims to explore the facts that how organisations can improve their KM processes in order to enhance workflow and productivity. The objectives of this study are;

• To analyse the idea of embedding knowledge management into business processes.
• To investigate the effect of KM practices and approaches on job satisfaction and employee performance in the organisation.
• To identify the factors that help organisations to improve KM activities for enhancing workflow and productivity.

Aims and Objectives As per the study of Massaro et al., (2016), the global society has been facing crisis including poverty, political tensions, knowledge and innovation, economic and environmental problems. In addition, many companies are seeking ways to avoid production, manufacturing, environmental, social, economic and other issues to sustain the competitive environment. Since its origin, knowledge management has put forward various practices in relation to social, cultural, economic and political context for developed countries. Though, numerous assumptions have been emerged based on the constructed models which certainly appear unrealistic to everyday situations in the underdeveloped countries. Embedding knowledge management in organisations helps in enhancing firms' performance and competitiveness. In addition, it is also considered beneficial in improving the economic conditions of the underdeveloped countries. However, this study aims to conduct research on knowledge management and its impact on the underdeveloped countries by understanding the case study of Venezuela. The objectives are listed below;

• To identify the idea of embedding knowledge management in the organisations.
• To critically evaluate the role of knowledge management in improving economic, social, cultural situations in the underdeveloped countries.
• To analyse the effectiveness of KM in enhancing the economic development of underdeveloped countries.
• To assess the impact and identify challenges of implementing knowledge management process in underdeveloped countries.

Aims and Objectives Shapira et al., (2017) highlighted that maintaining sustainability has always been an important goal for the organisations to be accomplished in the early stages of development. Knowledge is at the centre of evolution, emerging business processes and technologies related to sustainability and technological innovation has transformed the mentality of society and the businesses. Thus, knowledge management has become a key interest for the academia and businesses based on the knowledge-driven economic growth strategies for managing, forming, distributing and harvesting proper source of knowledge. Moreover, usually, companies lack in attaining proper guidelines, definitions, policies related to strategic sustainable development. The companies should in a new direction to avoid ecological damage. This approach of sustainable development strategy (SSD) has provided pathways for the organisation to meet the needs of the present without concern for the future. The lens of SSD provides various tools, concepts and methods for the decision-makers to resolve the issues. However, this study aims to evaluate how organisations apply SSD model to a knowledge management framework for moving organisations towards sustainability. The objectives are;

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the framework for strategic sustainable development.
• To examine the role of knowledge management and strategic sustainable development in moving the organisations towards sustainability.
• To assess the future opportunities and challenges in applying the SSD model to KM framework for maintaining organisational sustainability and growth.

Aims and Objectives As per the study of Andrawina et al., (2018), organisations continually seek unique ways, methods, processes, and techniques for implementing innovation to achieve desired goals and objectives. For managing changes, organisations embed knowledge-sharing philosophies and activities for achieving competitive advantage among other businesses. The necessity of knowledge management systems has been rapidly increasing due to the importance of business analytics and influence of the competitive advantage to balance working areas including production, utilisation of resources and organisational goals. Though, organisational readiness is used as a prerequisite for the individual or companies to implement and manage the change successfully. Organisation readiness for KM refers to the organisation's capability of identifying, storing, sharing, and distributing knowledge to adopt and utilise advantages for implementing the change. Though, this study focuses on establishing a conceptual framework to measure organisational readiness for adopting knowledge management. The objectives are listed below;

• To analyse how companies assess the factors to develop and adopt knowledge management activities in their communities.
• To provide a conceptual framework for measuring organisational readiness to adopt knowledge management processes.
• To identify the factors for measuring organisational readiness to adopt KM systems in the organisation.

Aims The aim of this study is that it is the critical study on the impact of the stressing knowledge organisational closeness and the knowledge acquisition under pressure. Organisations are the analytically conceptualised to individuals for a long time. This study based on the organisations which exhibited the familiar symptoms of the stress and become unreceptive to the input and external stimuli. The aim of this study is that to create the analytical framework for dynamic studying of the organisational permeability to eternal knowledge. Objectives The objectives of this study are the following:

• To assess the stressing knowledge of organisations.
• To evaluate the organisational closeness and knowledge acquisition under pressure.
• To analyse the impact of the stressing knowledge organisational closeness and knowledge acquisition under pressure.

Aims The aim of this study is that it is a critical evaluation of standardized knowledge transfer which is based on the case study of the project-based organisations in the construction and the IT sectors. This paper investigates the knowledge transfer process in the organisation of the project based on the organisation perspective. This study also emphasizes the organisational importance in project based organisation and the implications of the project management. This study also finds the difference between organisational culture and professional culture. Objectives The objectives of this study are the following:

• To analyse the standardized knowledge transfer.
• To assess the case study of the project based organisation.
• To analyse the project based organisations in the construction and IT sector.
• To critically evaluate the standardised knowledge transfer case study of the project based organisations in the construction and IT sectors.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of this research shows a strategy and approach which presents the framework requires for knowledge that shares to the sales-oriented in the team for a dynamic organization. It can be realised with familiarising the others to develop an understanding of the concept of knowledge management and innovative ideas with proper concepts depends on the case study of online e-commerce websites. This paper aims to identify the framework which will develop as the beginning of implementing a solution for knowledge that may share within the team (Bashir & Farooq, 2019). Thus, the purpose of this work is to utilize existing strategies of knowledge management to analyse the team to initiate the project in an organization.

The objectives of this study are listed below:

• To provide an overview of the ideas of knowledge management sharing the dynamics of sales
• To evaluate the insight on knowledge management and analyse the sales in an organization
• To develop the base of the entire assessment and to demonstrate the recent status about capabilities towards knowledge sharing.
• To assess the framework of knowledge management with having a strong alignment to the requirement of assessing dynamic of an organization for sales.

This study aims to enhance the understanding of the concept of knowledge management at the organization specifically in the public sector by considering an example of a case study based on the industry of the UK. The study explores the knowledge at the level of enterprises in the public or private sector while considering the knowledge of the economy and to generate a framework that will identify and adopt good practice about knowledge management (Al-Qubaisi, et al., 2018). Furthermore, this paper aims to elaborate on a discussion about theoretical perspectives based on empirical guided studies. In this way, the case study based on UK industry evaluates the knowledge management system specifically in the public sector.

The objectives of this research are listed below:

• To evaluate and advance the concept of knowledge management system within the public sector organization.
• To consider the case study for gaining information about managing knowledge system in UK industries.
• To evaluate the process of adopting new technology to enhance the knowledge system within the organization.

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Knowledge Management Dissertation Ideas To Get The Brain Rolling

The advantage of using dissertation ideas over topics is that the ideas can help you get your brain rolling. Moreover, a good idea can be modified and taken further than a simple topic. This is the reason why our subject specific writers have prepared a free list of the best knowledge management dissertation ideas you can use to land yourself with the perfect knowledge management dissertation topics.

The aim of this study is that it is the case study for the understanding of improvement of the knowledge sharing capabilities of the organisations. This study is based on the case study of the UK’s research and the development sector. The projects also complex because of the stakeholders the skills diversity and the uncertainties that involved which require accurate information and the management of the social interaction. This study also emphasized the information exchange, communication barriers, skills and knowledge dependence and different terminal technologies. The objectives of this study are the following:

• To evaluate the knowledge sharing capabilities of the organisation.
• To assess the understanding of how to improve the knowledge sharing capabilities of the organisations.
• To analyse the case study of the UK research and the development sectors.
• To critically evaluate the factors of the knowledge sharing capabilities of the organisation.

To analyse the impact of the knowledge sharing capabilities after the improvement of the UK's research and development sector.

This research aims to develop an understanding of the importance of knowledge management for service industries and the process through which such organization utilized the knowledge management to attain competitive advantage. Although to explore the barriers faced by a service organization that may anticipate during the implementation of knowledge management (de Souza Moraes, et al., 2019). The research also deals with a different aspect of knowledge management that particularly concentrate on sharing knowledge in service industries.

• To represent the aspect that may help in creating and sustaining the success of managing knowledge work at the organization.
• To focus on the process of utilizing knowledge management for the organization based on the service sector.
• To analyse the problems faced by an organization to adopt knowledge management and handles such problems.

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Some horrendous downfalls for choosing bad knowledge management dissertation topics are:

• Your supervisor might not be interested in working on it
• Dissertation may not have any academic credibility
• Your study might not be viable
• Your research may not make any logical sense

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Key Competences and New Literacies

From Slogans to School Reality

• Maria Dobryakova   ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9475-5476 0 ,
• Isak Froumin   ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9228-3770 1 ,
• Kirill Barannikov   ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5182-9458 2 ,
• Gemma Moss 3 ,
• Igor Remorenko   ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8775-4248 4 ,
• Jarkko Hautamäki 5

Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

Head of the Observatory of Higher Education Innovations, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany

Moscow city university, moscow, russia, university college london, london, uk, university of helsinki, helsinki, finland.

• Includes case studies from 8 countries on the competence-turn in the curriculum
• Describes pedagogical approaches to foster 21st century skills
• Outlines the components of environmental literacy

Part of the book series: UNIPA Springer Series (USS)

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

Front matter, introduction.

• Maria Dobryakova, Isak Froumin

The World Is Changing, and Education Is Changing with It

A framework of key competences and new literacies.

• Maria Dobryakova, Isak Froumin, Gemma Moss, Norbert Seel, Kirill Barannikov, Igor Remorenko

Canada (Ontario): A Unifying Theme for Canadian Education Is Equity

• Michele Peterson-Badali, Elisabeth Rees-Johnstone, Evelyn Wilson, Bev Freedman, Denese Belchetz, Karen Grose et al.

China: Fostering Students with All-round Attainments in Moral, Intellectual, Physical and Aesthetic Grounding

• Huanhuan Xia, You You

England: Knowledge, Competences and Curriculum Reform—Why the English Case Stands Out

• Gemma Moss, Ann Hodgson, Susan Cousin

Republic of Korea: Cultivating Key Competences

• Junehee Yoo, Euichang Choi, Dongil Kim, Kyunghee So, Chan-Jong Kim, Il Lee et al.

Finland: Improving Pupils’ Opportunities for Experiencing the Joy of Learning, for Deep Learning, and for Good Learning Achievement

• Jarkko Hautamäki, Raisa Ahtiainen, Natalia Gustavson, Risto Hotulainen, Sirkku Kupiainen, Marja Tamm et al.

Poland: The Learning Environment that Brought About a Change

• Maciej Jakubowski, Jerzy Wiśniewski

Twenty-First Century Skills and Learning: A Case Study of Developments and Practices in the United States

• Michael Russell, Henry Braun, Binbin Zhu

Russian Federation: At a Conceptual Crossroads

• Kirill Barannikov, Maria Dobryakova, Isak Froumin, Igor Remorenko

Pedagogical and School Practices to Foster Key Competences and Domain-General Literacy

• Maria Dobryakova, Norbert Seel

A Modern Aspect of Instrumental Literacy: Coding

• Suhas Parandekar, Eugeny Patarakin, Gulcan Yayla

How to Integrate New Literacy in the Curriculum—Example of Environmental Literacy

Maria Dobryakova

How Countries Reform Their Curricula to Support the Development of Key Competences

• Kirill Barannikov, Igor Remorenko, Isak Froumin

This edited book is a unique comprehensive discussion of 21 st  century skills in education in a comparative perspective. It presents investigation on how eight very different countries (China, Canada, England, Finland, Poland, South Korea, the USA and Russia) have attempted to integrate key competences and new literacies into their curricula and balance them with the acquisition of disciplinary knowledge. Bringing together psychological, sociological, pedagogical approaches, the book also explores theoretical underpinnings of 21 st  century skills and offers a scalable solution to align multiple competency and literacy frameworks.

The book provides a conceptual framework for curriculum reform and transformation of school practice designed to ensure that every school graduate thrives in our technologically and culturally changing world. By providing eight empirical portraits of competence-driven curriculum reform, this book is greatresource to educational researchers and policy makers.

• Learning Objectives
• New Literacies
• Canadian Education
• Education in China
• Education in the UK
• Cultivating Key Competences
• Education in Republic of Korea
• Education in Finland
• Education in Poland
• Twenty-First Century Skills and Learning
• Education in USA
• Education in Russia
• Key competencies
• 21st Century Curriculum
• Curriculum Reform
• Transversal Competences
• Functional Literacy
• Digital literacy
• Competence-based Education
• Critical Thinking

Isak Froumin

Kirill Barannikov, Igor Remorenko

Jarkko Hautamäki

Maria Dobryakova  graduated from the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences and Manchester University (M.A. in Sociology) and defended her Ph.D. in social stratification at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Since 2006 and until 2022 she worked at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, where she headed and coordinated a number of large-scale projects in education, social sciences, as well as publications and translation projects. Prior to that, she had worked at the Independent Institute for Social Policy (as head of publications) and the Ford Foundation (Higher Education and Scholarship program). 

Isak Froumin  headed the Institute of education at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow (Russia)—the first graduate school of education in Russia—from 2009 to 2021. After beginning his career as a principal of Kransnoyarsk University Laboratory School  (Russia), he worked as the Lead Education Specialist at the World Bank, and the advisor to the Minister of Education and Science of Russian Federation. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Education.

Kirill A. Barannikov  is the vice-rector for strategy, Moscow City University. He is working in MCU since 2015 and has led a number of projects over Moscow schools and the university development. Among the most striking projects are the online platform for teachers to create curricula (www.prok.edu.ru), the electronic platform for assessing the quality of the educational environment (www.ecers.ru, www.sacers.ru), internet service for supporting and developing initiatives  (www.zamisli.pro). Over the past ten years, he headed the center for distance education of children with disabilities of the Pedagogical Academy of Postgraduate Education, the center of curricula design and standards of the Academy of Social Management. He coordinated over 40 research projects of the Department of Education of the City of Moscow, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. The main areas of interest are competency models in school education, issues of standardization and curricula design in an international context, change management in schools and universities. 

Jarkko Hautamäki  graduated from University of Helsinki (majors in experimental psychology and social psychology) and defended his Ph.D. Dissertation (Measurement and Distribution of Piagetian Stages of Thinking) in University Joensuu. He became a full professor in Special Education in Helsinki University, served also the dean and founded and directed Helsinki University Center for Educational Assessment. He is the honorary professor of Faculty of Psychology at Moscow State University, member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and member of The Russian Academy of Educational Sciences. His research interests include human development and schooling for thinking, interventions and special education and applying the science of development into schooling. He lives in Helsinki, Finland. 

Gemma Moss  is the professor of Literacy at UCL Institute of Education. She has been the president of the British Educational Research Association (2015–17), was a member of the European Education Research Association Council (2016–18), was director of the Centre for Critical Education Studies at the Institute of Education (2007–11) and was director of the International Literacy Centre at the Institute of Education, UCL (2017-22).  Her main research interests are in literacy as a social practice; literacy policy; knowledge transfer and knowledge exchange; evidence-informed practice and curriculum design; pedagogy and new technologies; primary assessment; and gender and literacy attainment.  Her research includes running multi-site ethnographic case studies, combining quantitative and qualitative methods in innovative ways and using rapid evidence assessment systematic review processes to bring knowledge to bear on contentious questions in education, where funders require rapid answers.  

Igor M. Remorenko  has been holding the post of the rector of the Moscow City University since 2013. He has a Ph.D. and full-doctor degree in Education. From 2009 to 2011, he held the post of the director of the Department of the State Policy and Legal Regulations in Education, Department of the State Policy in Education, Department of the Strategic Development of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation; supervised the top-priority national project “Education” and programs to support the innovative development of the higher education institutes. From 2011 to 2013, he is the deputy minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. He is the author of a number of the scientific publications, two monographs. He participates in the researches in the field of educational policy, development of managerial approaches in education and multiple international and national projects in the sphere of education.

Book Title : Key Competences and New Literacies

Book Subtitle : From Slogans to School Reality

Editors : Maria Dobryakova, Isak Froumin, Kirill Barannikov, Gemma Moss, Igor Remorenko, Jarkko Hautamäki

Series Title : UNIPA Springer Series

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23281-7

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Education , Education (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-031-23280-0 Published: 23 August 2023

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-031-23283-1 Due: 23 September 2023

eBook ISBN : 978-3-031-23281-7 Published: 22 August 2023

Series ISSN : 2366-7516

Series E-ISSN : 2366-7524

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : VI, 426

Number of Illustrations : 18 b/w illustrations, 27 illustrations in colour

Topics : Curriculum Studies , Study and Learning Skills , International and Comparative Education , Educational Policy and Politics

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The Role of Environmental NGOs: Russian Challenges, American Lessons: Proceedings of a Workshop (2001)

Chapter: 14 problems of waste management in the moscow region, problems of waste management in the moscow region.

Department of Natural Resources of the Central Region of Russia

The scientific and technological revolution of the twentieth century has turned the world over, transformed it, and presented humankind with new knowledge and innovative technologies that previously seemed to be fantasies. Man, made in the Creator’s own image, has indeed become in many respects similar to the Creator. Primitive thinking and consumerism as to nature and natural resources seem to be in contrast to this background. Drastic deterioration of the environment has become the other side of the coin that gave the possibility, so pleasant for the average person, to buy practically everything that is needed.

A vivid example of man’s impact as “a geological force” (as Academician V. I. Vernadsky described contemporary mankind) is poisoning of the soil, surface and underground waters, and atmosphere with floods of waste that threaten to sweep over the Earth. Ecosystems of our planet are no longer capable of “digesting” ever-increasing volumes of waste and new synthetic chemicals alien to nature.

One of the most important principles in achieving sustainable development is to limit the appetite of public consumption. A logical corollary of this principle suggests that the notion “waste” or “refuse” should be excluded not only from professional terminology, but also from the minds of people, with “secondary material resources” as a substitute concept for them. In my presentation I would like to dwell on a number of aspects of waste disposal. It is an ecological, economic, and social problem for the Moscow megalopolis in present-day conditions.

PRESENT SITUATION WITH WASTE IN MOSCOW

Tens of thousand of enterprises and research organizations of practically all branches of the economy are amassed over the territory of 100,000 hectares: facilities of energy, chemistry and petrochemistry; metallurgical and machine-building works; and light industrial and food processing plants. Moscow is occupying one of the leading places in the Russian Federation for the level of industrial production. The city is the greatest traffic center and bears a heavy load in a broad spectrum of responsibilities as capital of the State. The burden of technogenesis on the environment of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region is very considerable, and it is caused by all those factors mentioned above. One of the most acute problems is the adverse effect of the huge volumes of industrial and consumer wastes. Industrial waste has a great variety of chemical components.

For the last ten years we witnessed mainly negative trends in industrial production in Moscow due to the economic crisis in the country. In Moscow the largest industrial works came practically to a standstill, and production of manufactured goods declined sharply. At the same time, a comparative analysis in 1998–99 of the indexes of goods and services output and of resource potential showed that the coefficient of the practical use of natural resources per unit of product, which had been by all means rather low in previous years, proceeded gradually to decrease further. At present we have only 25 percent of the industrial output that we had in 1990, but the volume of water intake remains at the same level. Fuel consumption has come down only by 18 percent, and the amassed production waste diminished by only 50 percent. These figures indicate the growing indexes of resource consumption and increases in wastes from industrial production.

Every year about 13 million tons of different kinds of waste are accumulated in Moscow: 42 percent from water preparation and sewage treatment, 25 percent from industry, 13 percent from the construction sector, and 20 percent from the municipal economy.

The main problem of waste management in Moscow city comes from the existing situation whereby a number of sites for recycling and disposal of certain types of industrial waste and facilities for storage of inert industrial and building wastes are situated outside the city in Moscow Region, which is subject to other laws of the Russian Federation. Management of inert industrial and building wastes, which make up the largest part of the general volume of wastes and of solid domestic wastes (SDW), simply means in everyday practice their disposal at 46 sites (polygons) in Moscow Region and at 200 disposal locations that are completely unsuitable from the ecological point of view.

The volume of recycled waste is less than 10–15 percent of the volume that is needed. Only 8 percent of solid domestic refuse is destroyed (by incineration). If we group industrial waste according to risk factor classes, refuse that is not

dangerous makes up 80 percent of the total volume, 4th class low-hazard wastes 14 percent, and 1st-3rd classes of dangerous wastes amount to 3.5 percent. The largest part of the waste is not dangerous—up to 32 percent. Construction refuse, iron and steel scrap, and non-ferrous metal scrap are 15 percent. Paper is 12 percent, and scrap lumber is 4 percent. Metal scrap under the 4th class of risk factor makes up 37 percent; wood, paper, and polymers more than 8 percent; and all-rubber scrap 15 percent. So, most refuse can be successfully recycled and brought back into manufacturing.

This is related to SDW too. The morphological composition of SDW in Moscow is characterized by a high proportion of utilizable waste: 37.6 percent in paper refuse, 35.2 percent in food waste, 10 percent in polymeric materials, 7 percent in glass scrap, and about 5 percent in iron, steel, and non-ferrous metal scrap. The paper portion in commercial wastes amounts to 70 percent of the SDW volume.

A number of programs initiated by the Government of Moscow are underway for the collection and utilization of refuse and for neutralization of industrial and domestic waste. A waste-recycling industry is being developed in the city of Moscow, mostly for manufacturing recycled products and goods. One of the most important ecological problems is the establishment in the region of ecologically safe facilities for the disposal of dangerous wastes of 1st and 2nd class risk factors.

Pre-planned industrial capacities for thermal neutralization of SDW will be able to take 30 percent of domestic waste and dangerous industrial waste. Construction of rubbish-burning works according to the old traditional approach is not worthwhile and should come to an end. Waste-handling stations have been under construction in the city for the last five years. In two years there will be six such stations which will make it possible to reduce the number of garbage trucks from 1,156 to 379 and to reduce the amount of atmospheric pollution they produce. In addition the switch to building stations with capacity of briquetting one ton of waste into a cubic meter will decrease the burden on waste disposal sites and prolong their life span by 4–5 fold. Trash hauling enterprises will also make profit because of lower transportation costs.

Putting into operation waste-segregation complexes (10–12 sites) would reduce volumes of refuse to disposal sites by 40 percent—that is 1,200,000 tons per year. The total volume of burned or recycled SDW would reach 2,770,000 tons a year. A total of 210,000 tons of waste per year would be buried. So, in the course of a five year period, full industrial recycling of SDW could be achieved in practice.

Collection of segregated waste is one of the important elements in effective disposal and utilization of SDW. It facilitates recycling of waste and return of secondary material into the manufacturing process. Future trends in segregation and collection of SDW will demand wide popularization and improvement of the ecological culture and everyday behavior of people.

In recent years the high increase in the number of cars in Moscow has brought about not only higher pollution of the atmosphere, but also an avalanche-like accumulation of refuse from vehicles. Besides littering residential and recreation areas, cars represent a source for toxic pollution of land and reservoirs. At the same time, automobile wastes are a good source for recycled products. In the short-term outlook, Moscow has to resolve the problem of collection and utilization of decommissioned vehicles and automobile wastes with particular emphasis on activities of the private sector. Setting up a system for collection and utilization of bulky domestic waste and electronic equipment refuse is also on the priority list.

In 1999 in Moscow the following volumes of secondary raw materials were produced or used in the city or were recycled: 300,000 tons of construction waste, 296,000 tons of metal scrap, 265 tons of car battery lead, 21,000 tons of glass, 62,500 tons of paper waste, 4,328 tons of oil-bearing waste, and 306 tons of refuse from galvanizing plants.

Such traditional secondary materials as metal scrap and paper waste are not recycled in Moscow but are shipped to other regions of Russia.

The worldwide practice of sorting and recycling industrial and domestic wastes demands the establishment of an industry for secondary recycling. Otherwise segregation of waste becomes ineffective.

There are restraining factors for the development of an effective system of assorted selection, segregation, and use of secondary raw resources, namely lack of sufficient manufacturing capacities and of suitable technologies for secondary recycling.

The problem of utilization of wastes is closely linked with the problem of modernization and sometimes even demands fundamental restructuring of industries. The practical use of equipment for less energy consumption and a smaller volume of wastes and a transition to the use of alternative raw materials are needed. Large enterprises—the main producers of dangerous wastes—are in a difficult financial situation now, which is an impediment for proceeding along these lines.

Private and medium-size enterprises are becoming gradually aware of the economic profitability in rational use of waste. For example, the firm Satory started as a transportation organization specialized in removal of scrap from demolished buildings and those undergoing reconstruction. It now benefits from recycling of waste, having developed an appropriate technology for the dismantling of buildings with segregation of building waste. So, as it has been already mentioned above, the first task for Moscow is to establish a basis for waste recycling.

HOW TO CHANGE THE SITUATION WITH WASTE

Transition to modern technologies in the utilization of wastes requires either sufficient investments or a considerable increase in repayment for waste on the part of the population. Obviously, these two approaches are not likely to be realized in the near future.

The recovery of one ton of SDW with the use of ecologically acceptable technology requires not less than $70–100.

Given the average per capita income in 1999 and the likely increase up to the year of 2005, in 2005 it will be possible to receive from a citizen not more than $14 per year. This means that the cost of technology should not exceed $40 per ton of recycled waste. Unfortunately, this requirement can fit only unsegregated waste disposal at the polygons (taking into account an increase in transportation costs by the year 2005).

Such being the case, it looks like there is only one acceptable solution for Russia to solve the problem of waste in an up-to-date manner: to introduce trade-in value on packaging and on some manufactured articles.

In recent years domestic waste includes more and more beverage containers. Plastic and glass bottles, aluminium cans, and packs like Tetrapak stockpiled at disposal sites will soon reach the same volumes as in western countries. In Canada, for example, this kind of waste amounts to one-third of all domestic waste.

A characteristic feature of this kind of waste is that the packaging for beverages is extremely durable and expensive. Manufactured from polyethylene terephthalate (PTA) and aluminum, it is sometimes more expensive than the beverage it contains.

What are the ways for solving the problem? Practically all of them are well-known, but most will not work in Russia in present conditions. The first problem relates to collection of segregated waste in the urban sector and in the services sector. A number of reasons make this system unrealistic, specifically in large cities. Sorting of waste at waste-briquetting sites and at polygons is possible. But if we take into account the present cost of secondary resources, this system turns out to be economically unprofitable and cannot be widely introduced.

The introduction of deposits on containers for beverages is at present the most acceptable option for Russia. This system turned out to be most effective in a number of countries that have much in common with Russia. In fact this option is not at all new for us. Surely, all people remember the price of beer or kefir bottles. A system of deposit for glass bottles was in operation in the USSR, and waste sites were free from hundreds of millions of glass bottles and jars. We simply need to reinstate this system at present in the new economic conditions according to new types and modes of packaging. Deposits could be introduced also on glass bottles and jars, PTA and other plastic bottles, aluminium cans, and Tetrapak packing.

Let us investigate several non-ecological aspects of this problem, because the ecological impact of secondary recycling of billions of bottles, cans, and packs is quite obvious.

Most of the population in Russia lives below the poverty line. When people buy bottles of vodka, beer, or soft drinks, they will have to pay a deposit value (10–20 kopeks for a bottle). The poorest people will carry the bottles to receiving points. A system of collection of packaging will function by itself. Only receiving points are needed. Millions of rubles that are collected will be redistributed among the poorest people for their benefit, and a social problem of the poor will be solved to a certain extent not by charity, but with normal economic means.

A second point is also well-known. In a market economy one of the most important problems is that of employment. What happens when the trade-in value is introduced?

Thousands of new jobs are created at receiving points and at enterprises that recycle glass, plastics, etc. And we don’t need a single penny from the state budget. More than that, these enterprises will pay taxes and consume products of other branches of industry, thus yielding a return to the budget, not to mention income tax from new jobs.

There is another aspect of the matter. Considerable funding is needed from budgets of local governments, including communal repayments for waste collection and disposal at polygons and incinerators. Reduction of expenses for utilization of waste can be significant support for housing and communal reform in general.

It is practically impossible to evaluate in general an ecological effect when thousands of tons of waste will cease to occupy plots of land near cities as long-term disposal sites. Operation costs of receiving points and transportation costs could be covered by funds obtained from manufacturers and from returned packaging. Besides, when a waste recycling industry develops and becomes profitable, recycling factories will be able to render partial support to receiving points.

Trade-in value can be introduced on all types of packaging except milk products and products for children. It could amount to 15 or 30 kopecks per container, depending on its size. If all plastic bottles with water and beer are sold with trade-in value only in Moscow, the total sum will reach 450 million rubles a year. If we include glass bottles, aluminum cans, and packets, the sum will be one billion rubles. This sum will be redistributed at receiving points among people with scanty means when they receive the money for used packaging and jobs at receiving points and at recycling factories.

The bottleneck of the problem now is the absence in Russia of high technology industries for waste recycling. It can be resolved rather easily. At the first stage, used packaging can be sold as raw material for enterprises, including those overseas. There is unrestricted demand for PTA and aluminum on the part

of foreign firms. When waste collection mechanisms are established, there will be limited investments in this branch of industry.

With regard to the inexhaustible source of free raw material, this recycling industry will become one of the most reliable from the point of view of recoupment of investments. The Government, regional authorities, the population, and of course ecologists should all be interested in having such a law.

The same should be done with sales of cars, tires, and car batteries. Prices of every tire or battery should be higher by 30–50 rubles. These sums of money should be returned back to a buyer or credited when he buys a new tire or a new battery. For sure, such being the case we will not find used batteries thrown about the city dumps. In this case the task is even simpler because there are already a number of facilities for the recycling of tires and batteries.

In fact, a law of trade-in value can change the situation with waste in Russia in a fundamental way. Russian legislation has already been prepared, and the concept of an ecological tax has been introduced in the new Internal Revenue Code. Now it needs to be competently introduced. The outlay for waste recycling has to become a type of ecological tax. To realize this task much work has to be done among the deputies and with the Government. Public ecological organizations, including international ones, should play a leading role.

ACTIVITY OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SPHERE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE MOSCOW REGION

We know examples of the ever increasing role of the general public in the solution of the problem of waste utilization, first of all in those countries that have well-developed democratic institutions. “Fight Against Waste” is one of the popular slogans of public organizations abroad. Public opinion has brought about measures of sanitary cleaning in cities, secured better work by municipal services, shut down hazardous industries, and restricted and prohibited incineration facilities. Nevertheless, the struggle against wastes in the economically developed countries, being a manifestation of an advanced attitude towards the environment, has in the long run brought about a paradoxical result. Transfer of hazardous industries to countries with lower environmental standards and inadequate public support—Russia, as an example—has made the world even more dangerous from the ecological point of view.

Russia has just embarked on the path of formation of environmental public movements by the establishment of nongovernmental organizations. Representatives of nongovernmental organizations from Russia took part in the international gathering in Bonn in March 2000 of nongovernmental organizations that are members of the International Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Elimination Network. A declaration against incineration was adopted in

Bonn by nongovernmental organizations, which called for elaboration of effective alternative technologies for utilization of waste and safe technologies for elimination of existing stockpiles of POP.

Quite a number of environmental organizations are operating now in Moscow. First to be mentioned is the All-Russia Society for the Conservation of Nature, which was established in Soviet times. There are other nongovernmental organizations: Ecosoglasiye, Ecolain, Ecological Union, and the Russian branches of Green Cross and Greenpeace. All these organizations collect and popularize environmental information and organize protest actions against policies of the Government or local administrations on ecological matters. A new political party—Russia’s Movement of the Greens—is being formed.

Laws currently in force in the Russian Federation (“On Protection of the Environment,” “On State Ecological Examination by Experts,” “On Production and Consumption of Waste”) declare the right of the public to participate in environmental examination of projects that are to be implemented, including those on the establishment of facilities for elimination and disposition of waste. Public examinations can be organized by the initiative of citizens and public associations. For example, under the law of Moscow “On Protection of the Rights of Citizens while Implementing Decisions on Construction Projects in Moscow,” public hearings are organized by the city’s boards. Decisions taken by local authorities, at referenda and public meetings, may be the very reason for carrying out public examinations. Such examinations are conducted mainly by commissions, collectives, or ad hoc groups of experts. Members of public examination panels are responsible for the accuracy and validity of their expert evaluations in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. A decision of a public environmental panel has an informative nature as a recommendation, but it becomes legally mandatory after its approval by the appropriate body of the State. Besides, the opinion of the public is taken into account when a project submitted for state environmental review has undergone public examinations and there are supporting materials.

Public environmental examination is supposed to draw the attention of state bodies to a definite site or facility and to disseminate well-grounded information about potential ecological risks. This important facet of public environmental organizations in Moscow and in Russia is very weak. To a large extent, it can be explained by an insufficient level of specific and general knowledge of ecology even on the part of the environmentalists themselves. Lack of knowledge on the part of ordinary citizens and public groups and inadequate information (for various reasons) produce alarm-motivated behavior by those who harm the organization of environmental activity in general and waste management in particular.

There are nevertheless positive examples of public participation in designing policies of local authorities in the waste management sphere.

Speaking about the Moscow region we can point to the very productive work of the Public Ecological Commission attached to the Council of Deputies in Pushchino, in Moscow Oblast.

The population of Pushchino is 21,000. The polygon for solid biological wastes (SBW) has practically exhausted its capacities. In 1996, in order to find a way out, the Administration of the town showed an interest in a proposal made by the Austrian firm FMW to support financially the construction of an electric power station in the vicinity of the town that would operate using both fuel briquettes and SBW of the town. The briquettes would be manufactured in Turkey and would contain 70 percent Austrian industrial waste with added oil sludge. It was also envisaged that during the construction period of the electric power station, 300,000 tons of briquettes would be shipped and stockpiled. The original positive decision was annulled due to an independent evaluation of the project organized by the Public Ecological Commission.

The general public of Puschino put forward a counter proposal before the Administration in order to reduce volumes of SBW disposal at the polygon and to prolong its operation—segregation of SBW (food waste, paper refuse, fabrics, metal, glass, used car batteries). As a result, a new scheme for sanitary measures in the town was worked out in 1998, which on the basis of segregation of waste provided for a considerable decrease in refuse flow to the polygon. Unfortunately, for lack of finances in the town budget, the scheme has not been introduced to the full extent. But in spite of severe shortages of special containers for segregated wastes, a network of receiving points for secondary materials was set up.

One of the pressing tasks for greater public activity is wide popularization of environmental knowledge on waste management, especially among the young generation. There is a very important role for public organizations to play in this domain when enlightenment and education are becoming a primary concern of nongovernmental organizations. Referring again to the example of the Public Ecological Commission in Pushchino, I have to underline that this organization is taking an active part in the enlightenment of the population through organizing exhibitions, placing publications in the press, and spurring school children into action to encourage cleaning of the town by means of environmental contests, seminars, and conferences. Children help the Commission organize mobile receiving points for secondary material. They even prepare announcements and post them around the town calling on the citizens to take valuable amounts of domestic wastes and car batteries to receiving points.

There are other examples of a growing influence of public organizations on the policy of administration in the sphere of waste management in the Moscow region. The Moscow Children’s Ecological Center has worked out the Program “You, He, She and I—All Together Make Moscow Clean,” which is being introduced with the support of the Moscow Government. In the framework of this program, children collect waste paper at schools, and they are taught how to

be careful about the environment and material resources. The storage facilities agreed to support the initiative. They buy waste paper at a special price for school children. Then, the schools spend the earned money for excursions, laboratory equipment, books, and plant greenery.

Another example of an enlightened activity is a project realized in 1999 by the firm Ecoconcord on producing video-clips for TV about the adverse effects of waste incineration and the illegality of unauthorized storage of waste.

The name Ecoconcord speaks for the main purpose of this organization—to achieve mutual understanding between the general public and governmental organizations, to encourage public involvement in decision-making, and to promote the formation of policy bodies that would not let public opinion be ignored.

Proceeding from the global task of integrating the activities of interested parties in lessening adverse waste pollution, public organizations have to cooperate with authorities and not stand against them. Cooperation and consensus between governmental and nongovernmental organizations in working out strategies and tactics in waste management should become a prerequisite in successful realization of state policy in this sphere in the Russian Federation.

An NRC committee was established to work with a Russian counterpart group in conducting a workshop in Moscow on the effectiveness of Russian environmental NGOs in environmental decision-making and prepared proceedings of this workshop, highlighting the successes and difficulties faced by NGOs in Russia and the United States.

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