International Journal of Knowledge Management, 5(1), 1-16, January-March 2009 1
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ABSTRACT
Extant literature has mostly focused on deining knowledge management success at an organizational
or project level. The literature lacks a framework for measuring knowledge management success at the
individual level. Individual knowledge innovation and performance make organizations more productive.
This research proposes a model of the interrelationships among individual level knowledge management
success measures (outcomes) including conceptual, contextual and operational knowledge, innovation, and
performance. The model is tested using a sample of 252 individuals engaged in managerial and profes-
sional knowledge work. The results suggest that conceptual knowledge enhances operational and contextual
knowledge. Contextual knowledge also improves operational knowledge. Contextual knowledge is the key
predictor of innovations that, along with operational knowledge, enhance work performance. The results
provide a model for deining and measuring knowledge management success at the individual level.
Keywords: conceptual knowledge; contextual knowledge; knowledge management; operational knowl-
edge; structural equation model; success measures; task knowledge
A Model of Interrelationships
among Individual Level
Knowledge Management
Success Measures
1
Shahnawaz Muhammed, Fayetteville State University, USA
William J. Doll, The University of Toledo, USA
Xiaodong Deng, Oakland University, USA
InTRoduCTIon
Knowledge management (KM) has been in-
terpreted and conceptualized at many levels
(Earl, 2001). The most prominent treatment in
the literature on knowledge management has
viewed it as an organizational initiative or as an
organizational system (Alavi & Leidner, 2001;
Jennex, Smolnik, & Croasdell, 2007). This
paradigm views knowledge as an organizational
resource that has to be managed well in order
to gain organizational competence. Speciic
processes and systems, especially, information
systems (IS), are needed to manage this key