A comparative analysis of cultural influences on knowledge management approaches in Western and Eastern corporations : a preliminary study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Knowledge is generally regarded as a new competitive business resource in the information age.The leveraging of this resource has therefore become a significant concern of knowledgemanagement. Knowledge management is not culturally neutral, however, and there seem to bedifferences between Western and Eastern knowledge management practices. In order to addressthese differences and determine their cultural roots, a comparative analysis of the culturalinfluences on knowledge management approaches in Western and Eastern corporations is needed.To fulfil this objective, it was firstly necessary to clarify the basic concept of knowledge,knowledge management and some relevant cultural issues. Secondly, specific Western andEastern corporations were chosen as case studies, and their knowledge management approacheswere analysed. In a third step, a comparative analysis was done between Western knowledge andEastern knowledge management practices. The culturally determining factors are presented.In the second part of the study, the relationship between knowledge management and culturalissues was discussed. Since knowledge management is still in its infancy, this means that acommon language is being established. Although the importance of corporate culture has beenrecognised, national cultural influences on knowledge management practices still needconsiderable scholarly attention.In the third part of the study, three national cultures were chosen to represent the Western andEastern cultures. America and Sweden represent Western culture, while Japan represents Easternculture. Several corporations, including IBM, Skandia, Toshiba, Sharp, were presented as casestudies and their knowledge management approaches were analysed, e.g. tacit knowledgemanagement focus, explicit knowledge management focus, knowledge creation, knowledgereuse, internal acquirement of knowledge, external acquirement of knowledge, etc. Based on theanalysis of the Western and Eastern corporations' knowledge management practices, acomparative analysis was conducted to identify the role that national culture plays in corporateknowledge management.In the last part of the study, the conclusions indicated that national cultures do influenceknowledge managers in their choice or omission of certain approaches to knowledgemanagement. Following from this conclusion, several future research suggestions were proffered.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University