This paper discusses emergent and deliberate knowledge management (KM) strategies on the basis of literature review and case study analysis. It grounds on the results of a comprehensive analysis of the literature on KM strategies and approaches adopted by companies of various sizes. Although KM strategies have been abundantly examined by scholars, not many studies compare deliberate and emergent approaches. By examining the case...

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to perform a preliminary analysis concerning the detection and examination of two possible opposite approaches to KM planning which will be referred to as deliberate and emergent KM strategies. The goal is to enhance our understanding of the variety of features KM strategies possess and, accordingly, to formulate categorisations that are in line with such characteristics. Design/methodology/approach...

This paper aims to present knowledge management (KM) approaches manifested by knowledge intensive business service (KIBS) companies together with their potential determinants (company size, type of services offered, and organizational structure). In particular, two types of approaches have been selected and examined, i.e. emergent KM approach and deliberate KM approach. Indeed, although KM approaches have been abundantly investigated...

This paper examines the concept of emergent KM approach in small companies. The origins of consideration are grounded in the theory of strategic management literature and in particular in the distinction between deliberate versus emergent approach towards strategic planning. Using the methodology of case study, we carried out an explorative research to analyse the characteristics of KM approach in two small companies located in...

Purpose – Even if the notion of knowledge management (KM) has been introduced more than three decades ago, the application of this concept in the context of small firms has still not been sufficiently explored. The relatively few contributions, however, agree on the fact that small companies do not manage knowledge the same way as their larger counterparts. In order to fill this gap, the present paper aims to the investigate the...