Proposing an assessment tool for Knowledge Management : A case study at an EMS in South East China

Abstract: In recent years, terms as “knowledge economy” and “knowledge society” have appeared in contemporary management literature. The rhetoric has been that technology-based advantages alone are transient and that knowledge is the reason companies are able to gain and sustain competitive advantages. This has led to extensive research, and knowledge management has gained the reputation of a legitimate research field.This thesis aims at proposing a feasible approach and tool for an initial knowledge management assessment, using the case of an electronics manufacturer in South East China. By an extensive literature review and analyzing reasoning, a knowledge management assessment tool has been developed through a combination of a well-known model for knowledge creation and a globally wide-spread set of criteria for knowledge management. A pilot assessment, conducted to evaluate a management process in the case company, proved the assessment tool applicable.In that pilot assessment, it was shown that all stages of the dynamic knowledge creation process were supported to some extent even though there was a lack of support for some categories in the evaluation criteria. The trial evaluation is however to be viewed as successful since the assessment tool was proven to serve its purpose. The assessed process at the case company was considered to contribute a great deal to the department’s and organization’s knowledge management performance.Geographic location or maturity of knowledge management is not regarded to have any significant influence and the proposed assessment tool is considered as useful to various organizations, thus enjoying a high external validity.