**2.1. Pillar of people**

KM is embedded in working processes and practiced by each individual at different organiza‐ tional levels, spanning from the senior‐most to junior‐most personnel. Typically, top managers champion the instigation of KM programs, provide vision to align the organizational strategy with the KM programs, and oversee the diffusion of KM initiatives throughout their organiza‐ tions [8]. Members at different organizational levels act as knowledge workers who harness and utilize the knowledge assets residing in their cognitive repositories [9]. Through collec‐ tive inquiry, sharing, and assimilation of knowledge, innovations and desirable organizational outcomes are boosted [1, 10]. Therefore, people are considered the heart of leveraging and creating knowledge for organizational competitiveness. Their cognitive minds influence their

**Figure 1.** Three knowledge management pillars.

approach to the processes of accommodating, validating, and creating different ideas solicited from different sources.

### **2.2. Pillar of technology**

of 44 respondents in different organizations was conducted to examine the relationship of the three major KM pillars. The survey results were further examined to evaluate the effects on organizational performance. Organizations harnessing a hybrid strategy to balance deployment of people, process, and technology gain positive results in their performance. The findings can provide direction for future studies to facilitate management in the deployment and integration

To understand effective KM practices, interviews were conducted with the senior manage‐ ment from two locally renowned KM‐intensive organizations; the interviewees serve as key informants who steer and propagate KM. The qualitative data from these organizations were analyzed and thematized into three essential KM pillars, namely, people, process, and tech‐

KM is embedded in working processes and practiced by each individual at different organiza‐ tional levels, spanning from the senior‐most to junior‐most personnel. Typically, top managers champion the instigation of KM programs, provide vision to align the organizational strategy with the KM programs, and oversee the diffusion of KM initiatives throughout their organiza‐ tions [8]. Members at different organizational levels act as knowledge workers who harness and utilize the knowledge assets residing in their cognitive repositories [9]. Through collec‐ tive inquiry, sharing, and assimilation of knowledge, innovations and desirable organizational outcomes are boosted [1, 10]. Therefore, people are considered the heart of leveraging and creating knowledge for organizational competitiveness. Their cognitive minds influence their

of the KM pillars for attaining desirable organizational outcomes.

nology, which constitute organizational performance (**Figure 1**) [4–7].

**2. Knowledge management pillars**

70 Knowledge Management Strategies and Applications

**Figure 1.** Three knowledge management pillars.

**2.1. Pillar of people**

Using communication and collaboration technologies to support knowledge management is ubiquitous. Its effect is universally discussed as an indispensable means to facilitate the acquiring, codifying, indexing, updating, and disseminating of knowledge among employ‐ ees [10–12]. Organizations invest in KM technology, such as document management systems and yellow pages, which enables the presentation of captured knowledge in readily available forms for different users.

Equipped with collaborative‐oriented KM technology, employees can connect to one another within (e.g., through organization‐specific intranets) and outside organizations (e.g., through the Internet) for rapid knowledge flows with enhanced time value. Employees using KM system (KMS) with learning and creation intention aim to capitalize knowledge assets through social networking and collective inquiries [12, 13]. With trust and reciprocity of exchange, employees share resembling identity over communities of practices to explore or exploit more new ideas and collaboration. User‐oriented KM systems (KMS) supports, such as training workshops and forums, may further assist the adoption of KM processes in daily operations.

### **2.3. Pillar of process**

Knowledge is mostly characterized by its tacit and intricate nature, and it resides in the mind of individuals [14–17]. Through individual inquiry and exploration, knowledge is activated from one's repository and externalized in different formats. By engaging through group dialogue, interaction, and exchange, knowledge can be pooled from different sources and created into different explicit stances. KM processes can generally be defined as an array of designated practices facilitating the flow and added value of knowledge. These processes not only help organizations identify and acquire knowledge from multiple sources but also allow their employees to explicate and disseminate knowledge in comprehensible formats. Valuable knowledge, skills, and competencies are documented and stored in knowledge repositories assuming various forms (e.g., minds of employees). Structured and planned documentations enable employees to share and retrieve relevant knowledge for implementing associated tasks. Employees can also assimilate new knowledge input to reconfigure existing knowledge and create new ideas for enhancing organizational goals [18, 19].
