Knowledge Management Practices and Results in Service-Oriented versus Product-Oriented Companies

As service companies increasingly occupy a significant place as drivers of economic growth, there is a pressing need to understand their peculiarities in order to facilitate their effective management and governance. One important area where this kind of understanding is lacking is knowledge management ( KM). Although KM has become a key value driver for all types of organizations, there has been a lack of systematic research into whether there are some fundamental differences between the nature of KM in service- oriented versus product-oriented companies. To address this gap in the existing knowledge, this paper examines the main differences between the KM practices and benefits produced by KM in service-oriented versus product-oriented companies. Empirical evidence is collected from 171 companies in Finland, China, and Russia and analyzed statistically. The results demonstrate that there are significant differences between service- oriented and product-oriented companies in time savings achieved through the application of KM and also on the impact of KM practices on KM benefits. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.