NDLI: Why early implementation of a Knowledge Management System can support the growth of R&D-driven SMEs

Content Provider	IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Author	Norkjaer, M.A. Scheel, H. Sorensen, M.A.S.
Copyright Year	2010
Description	Author affiliation: University of Aarhus, Institute of Business and Technology, Herning, Denmark (Norkjaer, M.A.; Scheel, H.; Sorensen, M.A.S.)
Abstract	In order to secure future growth, any R&D and technology-driven company has to manage its internal knowledge effectively. When companies grow the need for a Knowledge Management System (KMS) increases. It is widely recognized that one of the major challenges when implementing a KMS is how to create a culture that support the use of the system. Most companies struggle to make these cultural changes, which prolongs the implementation period, increases the costs and reduces the benefit of the system. This paper focuses on cultural development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and examines the interrelatedness of the phases for organizational growth and the timing of implementing a KMS. The research was carried out with an abductive approach using semi-structured interviews to study three SMEs with contemporary KMS problems as well as two large enterprises with previous experiences on implementation of KMSs. Our findings indicate that companies tend to focus on the costs of the KMS, and indeed overlook the even greater costs of implementing the necessary cultural changes. The culture in the organization of a SME is organic and easy to change which makes it inexpensive to implement the KMS. It is recommended that companies initiate the implementation of a KMS at an early stage instead of postponing the process till the need become urgent.
Starting Page	1
Ending Page	6
File Size	491319
Page Count	6
File Format	PDF
ISBN	9781424482030
Language	English
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Publisher Date	2010-07-18
Publisher Place	Thailand
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Rights Holder	PICMET (Portland Intl conf on Manage
Subject Keyword	Companies Cultural differences Interviews Knowledge management Databases Driver circuits
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in