The role and nature of knowledge management in Finnish SMEs

Sari Salojarvi

International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 2004, vol. 1, issue 3, 334-357

Abstract: This paper explores the motives of Finnish SMEs in managing their intangible assets, and describes their knowledge management methods. Interviews with ten SME directors are presented. The selected knowledge-active SMEs are compared both with big knowledge-managing companies and other similar SMEs that are not active in knowledge management. The common motives for knowledge management seem to be growth, change and renewal. But bigger companies seem to be more interested in measuring and exploiting existing resources. The firms interviewed had focused more on innovation, product development, trust and networks. These factors were not perceived as important by similar non-knowledge managing SMEs. Thus, knowledge-managing SMEs tend to be more future oriented and have better chances of survival than other SMEs. Furthermore, they seem to represent more dynamic approach to knowledge management than big companies.

Keywords: knowledge management; intangible assets; SMEs; strategy; growth; product development; innovation; change; renewal; Finland; trust; networks. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=5707 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijlica:v:1:y:2004:i:3:p:334-357

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sarah Parker ().