Knowledge Management’s Influence on Government Organisations’ Innovativeness

Abstract

This study investigates whether Knowledge Management (KM) holistically influences organisational innovation inthe government sector. To determine the relationships between KM and organisational innovation, identified in theliterature and used in practice, a quantitative survey approach was undertaken using a series of researcher-developedscales. From the literature Organisational Innovation (OI) was identified to be important in relation to KM, and aconceptual framework was designed to test the concept of the holistic influence of KM on organisational innovation.A total of 625 valid responses were collected from top and middle management from 54 government organizations inthe Kingdom of Bahrain. The model was statistically tested according to the research hypotheses by regressionanalysis, then Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results reveal strong and significant correlations amongstorganisational development practices. Although the holistic influence of the model could not be confirmed, findingsshow a positive KM influence on organisational development practices, thus KM is an essential factor forgovernment organisations. The model needs further investigation to explore the missing variables to make it ‘fit forpurpose’, and the concept of a holistic model needs to be further subjected to empirical investigation to explore itsviability.