The effect of organizational culture on knowledge management practices and innovation

Abstract

Abstract In this paper we analyze the relationships between certain knowledge management (KM) practices, organizational culture, and the technological results of companies. In the last few years, KM literature has highlighted the important role of cultural values on the way KM processes are developed and applied in organizations. From this viewpoint, and focusing on a set of knowledge storage and transfer practices, we try to empirically analyze the existence of a multiplier effect of the knowledge‐centered organizational culture on the relationship between these kinds of knowledge practices and the technological performance of firms. The results of the empirical study show the existence of a significant moderating effect, although the consequences on the innovative performance in terms of product or process technologies are found to be different, depending on the practice (storage or transfer) which is considered. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.