Challenges and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of knowledge management in organizations: KM professionals’ perceptions

This study examines the challenges and methods of knowledge management (KM) effectiveness assessment in knowledge-intensive organisations. Specifically, the authors put the spotlight, for the first time, on KM professionals’ perceptions regarding the examination of KM success that relies on non-financial indicators. The research was conducted with the participation of 21 KM experts through in-depth interviews and focus groups. The results reveal that many organisations do not carry out systematic and consistent KM measurements. Recognising the ever changing dynamics of organisations, the reasons behind the neglect of this evaluation are presented in the paper. As the challenges of the field and the KM effectiveness evaluation are of the lesser developed aspects of the discipline, the present study gives rise to significant innovations. Furthermore, it adopts the call to understand the added value of KM from a wider perspective than that which focuses pure financial metrics.