Key success factors for knowledge management

The purpose of this thesis is to gain a better understanding of how some factors are critical for the successful application of Knowledge Management (KM). KM covers a wide range of functionalities and support different sets of activities. Therefore, to achieve the research objective, this work limits the field of investigation to that KM, devoted to the formalization and the sharing of best practices and experiences within the organization. The study assumes that to evaluate the success of a KM, are the Key Success Factors (KSFs) on the quality and quantity of the contributions to the system from the employees. Then a Learning and Adaptation Support System that has been applied elsewhere are described in examples provided. Based on the existing literature regarding IT adoption, acceptance and Key Success Factors (KSFs), a research hypothesis has been developed and tested through a qualitative and a quantitative study in one of the international midsized automotive profile systems companies. The outcome of this empirical research provides indications on the leverages for the effective development and management of KM through Key Success Factors (KSFs). The evaluation confirms the critical success factors, as dependent on both internal and external knowledge sharing and interaction.