Relating knowledge management enablers, knowledge management processes, and organizational effectiveness : the case for the Maltese pharmaceutical sector

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between knowledge management (KM) enablers (aspects of organizational structure, learning, strategy, transformational leadership, and information technology) and organizational effectiveness. It also examines the mediating role of KM processes (knowledge creation, knowledge organization, knowledge application, and knowledge protection). Using a web-based questionnaire and the responses from 201 organizations in the Maltese Pharmaceutical Sector, structural equation modelling revealed that various KM enablers produced direct effects on KM processes, and in turn, two KM processes produced direct effects on organizational effectiveness and also mediated the relationship between some KM enablers and organizational effectiveness. This study contributes towards a better understanding of specific aspects of the KM phenomenon and provides several implications that could better assist the management of knowledge to enhance organizational effectiveness.