Preface

The knowledge management concept has emerged to serve as one of the critical inputs to the strategic management process, and a common factor underpinning competitive advantage. Over the concept's development, knowledge management research has focused on the processes that enable a firm to recognize sources of data, to transform data into useful information, to disseminate the information, and to develop strategies based on its insights. More recently, the development of the concept has begun to focus on the critical antecedents that enable these knowledge management processes to be implemented more effectively and efficiently. This research book serves to highlight some of the antecedents of effective knowledge management through empirical research done by researchers all around the globe. It does so in two separate sections: the first relates to tacit knowledge management, the second relates to strategic knowledge management.

In the first section, three chapters relating to the concept of tacit knowledge management are presented; these concern the topics of managing tacit knowledge spillover effects (in a Russian context), tacit knowledge management factors and their relationship to innovative capacity (in a Mexican context), and the impact that digital technologies play in understanding how tacit knowledge needs to be generated (in a global context). In the second section, three more chapters are presented relating to the strategic management implications of knowledge management. These chapters concern the strategic processes relating to the issues surrounding knowledge sharing across organizational boundaries (e.g. to strategic partners, organization in the supply chain, government agencies, etc.), the management of knowledge in "third spaces" (e.g. virtual networks, virtual organizations, "fab-labs," etc.), and what elements constitute knowledge management inputs for best-practice sustainability strategy.

On behalf of the authors, I hope that these chapters offer some important insights into the knowledge management concept, and that their findings and insights will assist practicing managers to improve their knowledge management practices. It is also our hope that these chapters will serve as the basis for a knowledge management research agenda by academics and other professional researchers in the field.

> **Dr. Mark Wickham** Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania, Australia

**1**

Section 1

Tacit Knowledge

Management

Section 1
