An Initial Investigation on the Relationship between Organizational Culture and Knowledge Management in UP BIOTECH

Abstract

In the present postindustrial society, knowledge has become a key resource (Bhatt, 2002). Buckman (2004) asserts that “knowledge has always meant power power to survive, power to adapt, power to thrive in a hard environment” (p. vii). The more knowledgeable the employees are, the greater is the competitive advantage of an organization. However, “when employees leave the company they take all their knowledge with them” (Brooking, 1999, p. 9), hence the importance of Knowledge Management (KM). However, companies have been found to have difficulties in implementing KM in their organization. One organizational element that has been found to be a hindrance to the successful implementation of KM is Organizational Culture. Although culture has been cited widely as a challenge in KM initiatives, and although many studies have considered the implications of organizational culture on knowledge sharing, few empirical studies address the influence of culture on the approach taken to KM (Leidner, Alavi & Kayworth, 2006). This study investigated the role of organizational culture in the implementation of KM in a Philippine knowledge-based organization - UP BIOTECH. A questionnaire measuring the culture familiarity and awareness and current KM practices, tools and processes were distributed to members of UP BIOTECH who are working or are involved in the research laboratories. The results showed that UP BIOTECH has high familiarity and awareness of their culture. They also have high current KM practices, tools and processes. Using Pearson-r Product Moment Coefficient Correlation, it showed that the higher the organizational culture familiarity and awareness of UP BIOTECH, the higher their knowledge management practices, tools and processes are.