Knowledge management, problem solving and performance in top Italian firms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the link between knowledge management practices, problem-solving processes and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses survey data from 112 leading Italian companies. To test the structural relations of the rese...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of knowledge management Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 355 - 375
Main Authors Giampaoli, Daniele, Ciambotti, Massimo, Bontis, Nick
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kempston Emerald Publishing Limited 03.04.2017
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Subjects
Competition
Competitive advantage
Creativity
Decision making
Knowledge management
Least squares method
Managers
Philosophers
Problem solving
R&D
Research & development
Researchers
Skills
Studies
Italy
Decision-making
Problem solving
Knowledge management
Organizational performance
Financial performance
Creativity
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Summary:Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the link between knowledge management practices, problem-solving processes and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses survey data from 112 leading Italian companies. To test the structural relations of the research model, we used the partial least squares method. Findings Results show a strong relationship between knowledge management practices and intermediate activities of creative problem solving and problem-solving speed. In addition, creative problem solving has a direct impact on both organizational and financial performances, whereas problem-solving speed has a direct effect only on financial performance. Research limitations/implications The focus on top Italian firms limits the generalizability of results. Practical implications This study provides empirical evidence of the importance of knowledge management practices for problem-solving activities and firm performance. Originality/value The present paper fills an important gap in the extant literature by conceptualizing and empirically testing the relationship between knowledge management, problem-solving processes (creative problem solving and problem-solving speed) and firm performance. This study is the first ever to study these relationships within the Italian context.
ISSN:1367-3270
1758-7484
DOI:10.1108/JKM-03-2016-0113