Examining the Effect of Knowledge Management on Performance of Small Firms in Dare es Salaam: A Case Study of Garage Workshops in Temeke District, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

  • Pius Sotery Institute of Accountancy Arusha
  • Hawa I. Munisi, PhD Institute of Finance Management
Keywords: Knowledge, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Utilization, Garage Performance
Share Article:

Abstract

Despite knowledge management being an approach used to achieve organisational objectives by making the best use of knowledge, little has been done on identifying the effect of knowledge management in the Tanzanian context. This study was therefore undertaken to assess the impact of knowledge management on the performance of small firms in Tanzania. Three variables, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, and knowledge utilisation were examined for their impact on the performance of garage workshops. The researcher used a random sampling technique in recruiting the sample size. Questionnaires and interviews were used in obtaining the data. Content analysis, descriptive statistics, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse study data. The study found that knowledge creation and knowledge utilisation were positively and significantly related to the performance of garage workshops, while knowledge sharing was found to have a positive but insignificant impact on garage workshops performance. Management of small firms was recommended to hire experienced staff to encourage knowledge creation, create an organisational culture that encourages workers interaction, and arrange tasks in a way that workers are encouraged to utilise new knowledge

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abtahi, M. S.,Azari, H., & Moghaddam, B. A. (2013). The influence of key factors of knowledge management on improvement of its administrative processes (A case study of the regional electric company of Khorasan). International Journal of Management, IT and Engineering, 3(8), 427-448.

Akhavan, A., Owlia, M. S., Jafari, M., & Zare, Y. (2011, December). A model for linking knowledge management strategies, critical success factors, knowledge management practices and organizational performance; the case of Iranian universities. In 2011 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (pp. 1591-1595). IEEE.

Aldrich, H. E., & Yang, T. (2014). How do entrepreneurs know what to do? Learning and organising in new ventures. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 24(1), 59-82.

Alegre, J., Sengupta, K., & Lapiedra, R. (2013). Knowledge management and innovation performance in a high-tech SMEs industry. International small business journal, 31(4), 454-470.

Ben Zaied, R. M., Louati, H., & Affes, H. (2015). The relationship between organisational innovations, internal sources of knowledge and organisational performance. International Journal of Managing Value and Supply Chains, 6(1), 53-67.

Berraies, S., & Chaher, M. (2014). Knowledge creation process and firms' innovation performance: Mediating effect of organizational learning. International journal of human resource studies, 4(1), 204.

Byukusenge, E., & Munene, J. (2017). Knowledge management and business performance: Does innovation matter? Cogent Business & Management, 1-18.

Chang, W. J., Liao, S. H., & Wu, T. T. (2017). Relationships among organizational culture, knowledge sharing, and innovation capability: a case of the automobile industry in Taiwan. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 15(3), 471-490.

Chung, M. (2019). Improving Efficiency on Technologies: University of Michigann.

Derakhshan, M.,Rezaei, S., Pourkiani, M., & Bigzadeh, F. (2020). Knowledge Management, Knowledge processing Style, Task, Organizational Culture, Organization Structure, Information Technology, Organization size. Quarterly Journal of Public Organzations Management, 8(2), 25-38.

Ferreira, J. J., Ratten, V., & Dana, L. P. (2017). Knowledge spillover-based strategic entrepreneurship. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 13(1), 161–167.

Gholami, M. H., Asli, M. N., Nazari-Shirkouhi, S., & Noruzy, A. (2013). Investigating the influence of knowledge management practices on organizational performance: an empirical study. Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, 10(2), 205-216.

Hanif, M. I., Malik, F., & Hamid, A. B. A. (2018). The effect of knowledge management and entrepreneurial orientation on organization performance. Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 21(4), 1-12.

Huang, C. C. (2009). Knowledge sharing and group cohesiveness on performance: An empirical study of technology R&D teams in Taiwan. Technovation, 29(11), 786-797.

Karlenzig, W. (2014), Behind Microsoft’s Digital Dashboard: KM.

Laeeque, S. H., Babar, S. F., & Ahmad, H. M. (2017). The integrative determinants of innovation performance: The role of learning organization and knowledge creation. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 11(1), 167-184.

Laeeque, S. H., & Babar, S. F. (2017). Knowledge creation and firm performance: Is innovation the missing link? Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 11(2), 505-523.

Laycock, M. (2005). Collaborating to compete: achieving effective knowledge sharing in organizations. The Learning Organization.

Liao, Y., & Barnes, J. (2015). Knowledge acquisition and product innovation flexibility in SMEs. Business Process Management Journal.

Mills, A. M., & Smith, T. A. (2011). Knowledge management and organizational performance: a decomposed view. Journal of knowledge management.

Minbaeva, D., Pedersen, T., Björkman, I. (2014). A retrospective on: MNC knowledge transfer, subsidiary absorptive capacity, and HRM. J Int Bus Stud 45, 52–62. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2013.56

Nawab, S., Nazir, T., Zahid, M. M., & Fawad, S. M. (2015). Knowledge management, innovation and organisational performance. International Journal of Knowledge Engineering, 1(1), 43-48.

Nguyen, V. T., Yang, Z., & Le, P. B. (2018). Knowledge sharing serves as a mediator between collaborative culture and innovation capability: an empirical research. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.

Nikabadi, S. M. (2014). Framework for knowledge management processes in supply chain. Iranian Journal of Information processing and Management, 28(3), 611-642.

Nonaka, I., o Nonaka, I., Ikujiro, N., & Takeuchi, H. (2015). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation (Vol. 105). OUP USA.

Omotayo, F. O., & Babalola, S. O. (2016). Factors influencing knowledge sharing among information and communication technology artisans in Nigeria. Journal of Systems and Information Technology.

Ramirez, A. M., & Kumpikaite, V. (2012). Creation, Transfer and Application of Knowledge and its Importance for Business Innovation and Organizational Performance. International Proceedings of Economics Development & Research, 46(6), 27-31.

Ritala, P., Olander, H., Michailova, S., & Husted, K. (2015). Knowledge sharing, knowledge leaking and relative innovation performance: an empirical study. Technovation, 35, 22–31.

Sensuse, D. I. & Bulan, S. J., (2013). Knowledge sharing model among academic staffs in universities. Jurnal Sistem Informasi, 8(2), 133-139. https://doi.org/10.21609/jsi.v8i2.335

Shahbakhsh, B. (2013). Knowledge management and its relationship with organizational performance.Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 5(2), 141-149.

Siegel, D. S. and Renko, M. (2012). “The role of market and technological knowledge in recognizingentrepreneurial opportunities” Management Decision 50 (5), 797–816.

Taghizadeh, H., & Shokri, A. (2015). The study of knowledge management infrastructures in Islamic Azad university from faculty members' point of view (case study). Asian Social Science, 11(25), 39.

Wasko, M. and Faraj, S. (2005), “Why Should I Share? Examining Social Capital and Knowledge Contribution in Electronic Networks of Practice.,” MIS Quarterly, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 35–57

Yong, C. C.,Cheah, W. C., Ooi, K. B., Teh, P. L.,& Chong, A. Y. L.(2009). Total quality management and knowledge sharing: Comparing Malaysia's manufacturing and service organizations. Journal of applied Sciences, 9(8), 1422-1431.

Yun, J.H.J. and Mohan, A.V. (2012), “Exploring open innovation approaches adopted by small and medium firms in emerging/growth industries: case studies from Daegu–Gyeongbuk region of South Korea”, International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 1-19.

Zargar, E., & Rezaee, M. (2014). The study of knowledge management effect on performance rate of employees. European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences: Proceedings, 2(3 (s)), pp-3061.

Published
14 February, 2022
How to Cite
Sotery, P., & Munisi, H. (2022). Examining the Effect of Knowledge Management on Performance of Small Firms in Dare es Salaam: A Case Study of Garage Workshops in Temeke District, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. East African Journal of Business and Economics, 5(1), 48-61. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajbe.5.1.549