Towards Customer Knowledge Relationship Management: Integrating Knowledge Management and Customer Relationship Management Process

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to study the application of knowledge management (KM) factors on customer relationship management (CRM) process in Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status organisations.Design/methodology/approach– A questionnaire survey was conducted on KM workers (customer service) in Malaysian MSC status organisations. Based on the extensive review of the current literature, eight KM factors were investigated to examine the application toward CRM process.Findings– The data, collected from 96 knowledge workers, suggest that KM process, organisational infrastructure and technology are three important predictors for effective CRM process.Practical implications– The practical implication of this paper could be useful for business managers who want to enhance organisational CRM through implementing KM practices to support their organisation’s KM efforts.Originality/value– This is one of the few papers to study the application of KM factors on CRM process in Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION Value creation strategies in the 21st century have shifted from product differentiation and operational efficiency to knowledge creation and relationship building across the value network. Knowledge management (KM) and relationship management (RM) are two sides of the same coin in gaining competitive advantages in the knowledge-based economy. The focus of relationship management has been on customer relationship management (CRM), which has helped companies to acquire and retain customers and increase market share and profitability. For businesses that have a high percentage of sales through indirect channels, such as the hightech industry (Tanoury & O'Leary, 2000), partner relationship management (PRM) has become an important business strategy in the sell-side relationship management. As procurement cost and suppliers' commitment to meet production requirements can drastically impact a firm's performance (Aberdeen, 2001; Lang, Paravicini, Pigneur, & Revaz, 2002; Carey, 2005), the upstream supplier relationship management (SRM) is equally important as the downstream CRM and PRM. Enterprise relationship management (ERM) is a business strategy that optimizes the relationships between a firm and its customers, channel partners, suppliers and alliance partners in order to maximize opportunities. Knowledge management is a value creation strategy that exploits the knowledge assets of an enterprise to achieve business goals. It is concerned with the creation, sharing and utilization of knowledge in an organization. The internal focus of knowledge management to improve product innovation and operational efficiency has shifted to an external focus of enhancing business processes across the extended enterprise. In particular, the application of KM to CRM business processes and the management of customer knowledge have received increasing attention both in academia and in business. The merging of KM and ERM yields two perspectives: the ERM-oriented KM (EKM) and the KM-oriented ERM (KERM). The focus of prior research in this area has been on the integration of KM and CRM. While different models have been proposed for customer knowledge management (CKM) and knowledge-enabled CRM (KCRM), there are no standardized definitions of these terms. A commonly accepted concept is that CKM deals with the processes of managing customer knowledge, whereas KCRM deals with the utilization of knowledge to improve CRM processes. Gibbert, Leibold and Probst (2002) described CKM as the management of knowledge from customers and emphasized CKM as the strategic process by which customers are empowered as knowledge partners. It proposed five styles of CKM that can be used by companies depending on the nature of their customers. Paquette (2006) described CKM as the processes that a firm employs to manage the identification, acquisition and internal utilization of customer knowledge. Su, Chen and She (2006) proposed a conceptual framework for an E-CKM model by incorporating IT into the CKM model. Eppler, Siefried and Popnack (1999) classified business processes by knowledge intensity and process complexity. High CRM process complexity implies a high degree of knowledge to pursue the process goals. KCRM is the enablement of CRM processes by knowledge across the operations of marketing, sales and service. Gebert, Geib, Rolbe, and Piernpp (2002) and Gebert, Geil, Kobe, and Brenner (2003) described a CKM model based on a research approach in business engineering developed at the University of St. Gallen. The term CKM used by the St. Gallen authors refers to both the CKM and the KCRM aspects in the context of this paper. The St. Gallen approach derives from the reflections about CRM (Derliyski & Frohlich, 2004; Zanjani, Rouzbehani, & Dabbagh, 2008), in which customer knowledge is applied to support CRM processes (Gebert et al., 2002; Bueren, Schierholtz, Kolbe, & Brenner, 2004). The St. Gallen concept of the CKM model describes the basic elements for successful knowledge management in customer-oriented processes (Gebert et al. …

Due to the rapid growth in the electronic business, information technology has become very necessary for building up efficiency and effective transactions among organizations. Consequently, Cloud Computing (CC) becomes a very important area to achieve the organization's performance. The process of integration between Cloud Computing (CC) and the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a new research area. Therefore, scientific research and literature review related to Cloud Computing and CRM processes are limited. Yet, the impact of Cloud Computing on CRM processes remains under exploration and investigation. To this effect, this paper takes on a holistic approach that examines the combined effects of Cloud Computing Benefits (cost and ease of use) and CRM processes (customer acquisition, customer retention and customer expansion) on organization's performance. It also presents a conceptual framework for Cloud Computing and CRM processes, based on the analysis of various models presented in Cloud Computing and CRM processes. The main emphasis is focused on the concept of Cloud Computing Benefits (cost and ease of use) and CRM processes (customer acquisition, customer retention and customer expansion) by examining some reasons that make the organization interested in using this modern technology from one hand and how Cloud Computing can encourage organizations to implement CRM to improve their performance on the other. Therefore, this paper contributes to develop three models: Cloud Computing Benefits, CRM process, and integration between the Cloud Computing and CRM process to improve organization performance model. Also, it describes more valid factors to identify how an organization deals with its performance in the future by providing an advice for the Information Technology (IT) industry as how an analytical integration between Cloud Computing Benefits and CRM process improves organization's performance – something that should be taken into account in developing countries to attain a competitive advantage. This study is divided in three sections: Literature Review, Research Model, and Conclusion.

Due to the rapid growth in the electronic business, information technology has become necessary for building efficiency and effective transactions among organizations. Consequently, Cloud Computing (CC) becomes a very important area to achieve the organization's performance. The process of integration between Cloud Computing (CC) and the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a new research area. Therefore, scientific research and literature review related to Cloud Computing and CRM processes are limited. This paper takes a holistic approach that examines the combined effects of Cloud Computing Benefits (cost and ease of use) and CRM processes (customer acquisition, customer retention and customer expansion) on organization's performance. It also presents a conceptual framework for Cloud Computing and CRM processes, based on the analysis of various models presented in Cloud Computing and CRM processes. The main emphasis is focused on the concept of Cloud Computing Benefits and CRM processes by examining some reasons that make the organization interested in using this modern technology from one hand and how Cloud Computing can encourage organizations to implement CRM to improve their performance on the other. This paper contributes to develop three models: Cloud Computing Benefits, CRM process, and integration between the Cloud Computing and CRM process to improve organization performance model. Also, it describes more valid factors to identify how an organization deals with its performance in the future by providing an advice for the Information Technology (IT) industry as how an analytical integration between Cloud Computing Benefits and CRM process improves organization's performance – something that should be taken into account in developing countries to attain a competitive advantage. This study is divided in three sections: Literature Review, Research Model, and Conclusion.

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the role of knowledge management (KM) processes in enhancing competitive strategies of differentiation and cost-effectiveness and its impact on innovativeness in knowledge-intensive service organizations (KISOs) in India.Design/methodology/approachThis study collected data from 293 employees working in Indian KISOs through a questionnaire survey. After checking for reliability and validity of data, this study tested the hypotheses by structural equation modeling using AMOS 26.FindingsThe results show that KM processes have a significant and positive relationship with competitive strategy and innovativeness. Competitive strategy partially mediates the relationship between KM processes and innovativeness. These KM processes promote differentiation and cost-effectiveness, which in turn enhances innovativeness. A differentiation strategy has a stronger positive relationship with KM processes and innovativeness than a cost-effective strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study's cross-sectional design limits its ability to establish a general cause–effect relationship. Even so, theoretically, the results corroborate the contingent view of KM in emerging economies such as India. The findings show the mediating role of competitive strategy on the relationship between KM and its processes with innovation and competitiveness – providing a better cost-effectiveness relationship and organizational differentiation capacity.Practical implicationsThis study suggests managers to adopt KM processes such as creation-sharing, acquisition and knowledge base enabling firms to be different and cost-effective than their competitors. This study provides evidence on how KISOs can leverage their innovativeness by using KM processes in congruence with its competitive strategy and gain competitive advantage.Social implicationsThis study emphasizes the development of KM processes in the management of KISOs, which contributes substantially to India’s economic growth via Gross domestic product and employment. On the social side, this study suggests to manage cultural issues in KM processes, arising because of presence of multi-cultural workforce and a high-power distance society.Originality/valueThis study bridges a research gap of previous studies providing empirical evidence regarding the mediating effect of competitive strategies in the relationship between KM processes and innovativeness. This study adds proof to the KM contingency view of firms, suggesting when KM processes are formulated to achieve competitive strategy; substantial benefits such as innovativeness can be realized. This study adds evidence from the emerging economy of India, where KISOs are increasingly creating value and employment.

This paper examines a framework between different knowledge management enablers (KMEs), knowledge management (KM) processes and organisational performance. Forty-six KMEs are selected from literature and experts' opinion from industry and academia. Further, these 46 KMEs are grouped into six major constructs. These KMEs supports the socialisation, externalisation, combination, internalisation (SECI) KM processes and organisational performance (operational performance, financial performance and customer satisfaction). The postal survey methodology is used to collect the data from Indian manufacturing organisations. The collected survey data was analysed for the construct, content, criterion-related validation and reliability analysis. Additionally, structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to test the relationship between KMEs, SECI KM process and organisational performance. The finding suggests positive relationship exists between KMEs, SECI KM process and organisational performance. The successful KMEs implementation improves the SECI KM processes which enhance the organisational performance.

This paper examines a framework between different knowledge management enablers (KMEs), knowledge management (KM) processes and organisational performance. Forty-six KMEs are selected from literature and experts' opinion from industry and academia. Further, these 46 KMEs are grouped into six major constructs. These KMEs supports the socialisation, externalisation, combination, internalisation (SECI) KM processes and organisational performance (operational performance, financial performance and customer satisfaction). The postal survey methodology is used to collect the data from Indian manufacturing organisations. The collected survey data was analysed for the construct, content, criterion-related validation and reliability analysis. Additionally, structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to test the relationship between KMEs, SECI KM process and organisational performance. The finding suggests positive relationship exists between KMEs, SECI KM process and organisational performance. The successful KMEs implementation improves the SECI KM processes which enhance the organisational performance.

Purpose– This paper aims to find and rank the barriers of the four knowledge management (KM) processes including generation, storage, distribution and application in the gas and petroleum sector.Design/methodology/approach– Reviewing the literature of KM and organizational learning, this paper extracted all of the barriers which impede KM processes. Then it designed a questionnaire for validating, ranking and categorizing barriers. Totally, 190 completed questionnaires were gathered from 26 gas and petroleum companies in Iran. Some statistical tests such asT, Friedman, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney were used for analyzing data.Findings– Findings reviewed the current literature of KM barriers, validated and ranked the barriers of knowledge generation, storage, distribution and application separately. The importance of knowledge generation and knowledge application barriers were significantly different between gas and petroleum companies. Hence they were disjointedly ranked for gas and petroleum. Finally, KM barriers were ranked according to their contribution to KM processes and the average mean of their importance in KM processes.Practical implications– From the practical point of view, this paper suggests managers of gas and petroleum companies to emphasize solving high-priority barriers according to the KM process which they are focused on. Furthermore, the study provides a checklist that can be used as an assessment tool for evaluating KM processes considering barriers.Originality/value– This paper finds the importance of each barrier for each of the four KM processes and ranks the “critical barriers” according to their contribution to four KM processes in the gas and petroleum sector.

PurposeEmployee knowledge is an essential contributor to managing supply chain ambiguities and supply improvement. The current research examined green technology (GT) implementation and knowledge management (KM) processes toward knowledge worker supply performance (KWSP). The present study postulates that GT implementation's positive impacts on the KM process and KM process lead to improved KWSP based on employee knowledge contribution.Design/methodology/approachTo accomplish the research objective, the data were taken from those production houses that are utilizing GT. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed in Zhengzhou city, and feedback was received (343). The feedback data were studied through partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). fsQCA is used to analyze improving the multiple configurational paths of KWSP.FindingsThe study revealed that GT implementation is positively associated with the KM process, and KM processes substantially influence the improvement of KWSP. The consequence of fsQCA demonstrated that various combinations improve supply chain performance. The study combines certain dimensions of GT implementation with the KM process, revealing that supply chain performance improved based on knowledge sharing in manufacturing firms.Research limitations/implicationsThis study guides decision-makers and academics on using the knowledge process associated with GT to improve supply chain performance. Moreover, future researchers should use information technology in supply houses and compare the result with the literature to generalize the results better.Originality/valueThe asymmetric technique assists in differentiating the connections that are not directly investigated by the traditional symmetric method. The study covers and identifies various approaches that can be used in manufacturing firms to improve the supply chain process and employee satisfaction. The study combines the two techniques to understand supply performance based on knowledge sharing in manufacturing firms.

PurposeDrawing upon the theoretical underpinning of knowledge worker productivity, this study aims to examine the relationship between abusive supervision and knowledge management (KM) process (creation, application and sharing of knowledge) and its impact on the knowledge worker productivity in knowledge-intensive organizations.Design/methodology/approachHypothesis were tested through PROCESS Macro in IBM SPSS v.26 on a sample of 204 employees working in banking sector of Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the model fitness through AMOS v. 26.FindingsThe results showed that the relationship between abusive supervision and KM process (creation, application and sharing of knowledge) is negative and highly significant, i.e. greater the abusive supervision in the banking sector, the lower is the engagement in KM processes. Furthermore, there is a positive and highly significant relationship between the KM process and knowledge worker productivity. Finally, the study indicates the negative impact of abusive supervision on the knowledge worker productivity through the mediating mechanism of knowledge management processes.Research limitations/implicationsA key limitation is that the study is cross-sectional, and the findings may only be generalizable to developing countries context.Originality/valuePrevious studies have focused on supervisor–employee relationship but not in the context of knowledge worker productivity. This article fulfills this gap through understanding the impact of abusive supervision on the knowledge worker productivity in relation to KM processes (knowledge creation, sharing and application) by drawing upon the theoretical underpinning of knowledge worker productivity.

Управление знаниями – это деятельность, в ходе которой знания эффективно накапливаются, распространяются и применяются, что приводит к повышению продуктивности и эффективности работы организации. Основная цель данного исследования – проанализировать влияние процессов и возможностей управления знаниями на эффективность малых и средних предприятий (МСП) в Саудовской Аравии. Возможности управления знаниями включают персонал, информационные технологии (ИТ), организационную структуру и организационную культуру, которые в данном исследовании характеризуются Т-образными компетенциями, ИТ-поддержкой, уровнем централизации и обучением. Другим аспектом являются процессы управления знаниями, включающие доступ к знаниям, их создание, внедрение, представление, стимулирование, использование, оценку и трансфер. Эффективность управления знаниями измеряется посредством двух факторов, к числу которых относятся финансовая эффективность организации и удовлетворенность клиентов. Исследование основано на обзоре литературы по управлению знаниями, включая процессы, возможности и эффективность. На этой основе разработана модель исследования и выдвинуты гипотезы. Данные получены путем опроса, в котором приняли участие 126 менеджеров, работающих в МСП разных отраслей в Саудовской Аравии. С помощью ряда статистических тестов исследование показало, что возможности управления знаниями, ИТ-поддержка, обучение, децентрализация и персонал предприятия вносят значимый вклад в успех практики и процессов управления знаниями, тем самым подтверждая теоретическую модель. Исследование также показало, что процессы управления знаниями, включая доступ к знаниям, их создание, оценку, трансфер, использование, внедрение, представление и стимулирование, позитивно связаны с эффективностью МСП в Саудовской Аравии.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the knowledge management (KM) process and the performance of construction companies. The ultimate goal is to promote better efficiency and competitive advantage in the construction industry by making the best use of knowledge. Background: While attention to KM is currently on the rise, as shown by the number of studies conducted, research on KM in the construction industry of Indonesia is still very rare. However, organizational learning as the implementation of KM provides an opportunity to improve the construction industry, and thus there is an urgency to conduct research on this topic. Methodology: This study lasted for three months and used the survey method, with 100 questionnaires distributed to contractors of grade 6 and 7 on the islands of Java and Borneo in Indonesia. A total of 54 returned questionnaires were deemed complete and eligible for further analysis. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling method with partial least squares (SEM PLS). Contribution: This study helps to measure the relationship value of the KM process and company performance. Findings: The results of this study indicate that the process of KM has a significant and positive influence on company performance, and there is a positive interaction in the process of KM and company performance as well. Recommendations for Practitioners: Construction companies need to perceive that activities undertaken in a construction project should always be assumed to be a KM process in order to make strategic and effective decisions that can result in improvements to customers, finance, internal business, learning, and growth. Recommendation for Researchers: Research on the KM process and information technology needs to be developed more, so that construction companies can apply this knowledge to explore problems and create solutions, resulting in methods to facilitate efficiency and effectiveness. Impact on Society: This paper helps to understand that KM activities provide initial benefits and guidance for companies that want to apply KM. Future Research: Innovative and new ideas to cultivate the KM process in the construction industry need to be explored and developed to improve the implementation.

The competitiveness of a firm depends on the quality of knowledge they apply to their business processes. Knowledge management (KM) processes are part of the firm business processes. These processes require turning personal knowledge into corporate knowledge that can be widely shared throughout a firm and appropriately applied. This study examines how SMEs and large firms apply KM processes in their daily business activities and analyse the influence of KM processes on their financial and non-financial performance. KM processes comprise knowledge acquisition, conversion and application while firm performance is measured from financial and non-financial perspectives that consist of profit, growth, innovativeness, customer satisfaction, quality and flexibility. Survey questionnaires were distributed to managers at SMEs and large firms. Results showed that the effects of KM processes on financial and non-financial performance differ between SMEs and large firms. Findings from the survey could help these firms to enhance their financial and non-financial performance via appropriate KM processes.

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of knowledge management (KM) infrastructure and KM processes on the performance of KM practices.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on personal interviews, data were collected from 83 managers from a single case study of a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) operator in Turkey.FindingsThe paper finds that hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Test of hypotheses revealed that both KM processes and KM infrastructure positively and significantly influenced the performance of KM practices. These findings tend to corroborate our conceptual model and are also in line with the existing literature. KM infrastructure was found to be more significantly affecting KM performance than KM processes, indicating that the context and background of KM is more important than the application aspects of KM.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings in this paper cannot be generalized due to the case study approach. It may not be claimed that both KM processes and KM infrastructure solely determine the performance of KM practices. Instead, there are many other factors that may influence KM performance, which are somewhat beyond the scope of this research.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that the evaluation of KM performance is expected to increase the effectiveness, efficiency and adaptability of KM efforts so as to add more value to the overall performance of the organization.Originality/valueIn this paper there is little or no empirical evidence investigating the influence of KM infrastructure and KM processes on KM performance. This paper rectifies this imbalance by clarifying the link between KM infrastructure, processes and performance.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate knowledge management (KM) processes and to investigate their impact on organisational performance (OP) within the context of the airline industry (AI).Design/methodology/approach– An inductive and deductive qualitative approach was used based on a preliminary study. A pilot study was conducted which involved the use of interviews as a primary data collection method. Content analysis was used to extract and analyse themes from the data.Findings– The study showed that knowledge usage is the most influential aspect of KM in terms of the impact on OP. Moreover, the study revealed that knowledge transfer is a common KM process employed by organisations.Research limitations/implications– This study outlined the findings of a pilot study which aimed to test a proposed conceptual model and to provide an initial understanding of the interrelationships between KM processes and OP. To this end, a number of interviews were conducted in order to consolidate a conceptual model. As such, the nature of this preliminary study imposed some time and context limitations. These limitations will be dealt within later stages of the research journey.Originality/value– The value of the study is generated from the extensive review of the literature it provided which enhanced proposing a conceptual model that was initially tested with the aim of defining an appropriate KM processes within a unique and yet untested context as well as describing the impact of these processes on OP. Determination of KM processes is expected to set a guideline for future research in the AI.