Strategic Knowledge Management, Innovation and Performance: A Qualitative Study of the Footwear Industry

This paper focuses on the first phase of research that sought to encourage discussion and to promote a better understanding of the effects of strategic knowledge management (SKM) on innovation and performance in the Portuguese footwear industry. The rationale for the research is based on the understanding that innovation has played a major role in the recent good performance of this industry, building up its global market share and increasing employment and value in the context of Portugal’s economic recession. This empirical study, to our knowledge, is the first to examine the interface between SKM, innovation and performance in the footwear industry. The research used a qualitative methodology, gathering data through semi-structured interviews with three chief executive officers of footwear firms and three academic specialists in SKM and innovation. After doing content analysis, we found support for our initial expectation that SKM effects can be inferred whenever shifts in a firm’s performance occur as a result of technological and/or organisational innovations. We further propose a model of relationships between SKM, innovation and performance, which will be assessed in a second phase using a quantitative approach. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.