An International Comparison of the Sustainability of Knowledge

Abstract

Sustainability and organisational knowledge have been of interest to academics for decades, but the long-term sustainability of knowledge within organisations is a less researched area. This study aims to fill gaps in the literature on knowledge sustainability through the views of knowledge management practitioners. It will also provide a generally useful definition of knowledge sustainability. The research was carried out using the Delphi method. A two-round questionnaire survey was carried out involving professionals from 7 continents. The expert groups surveyed were TM experts, Business experts, and Academic staff. In the first round of the survey, 106 respondents expressed their views and ideas on the sustainability of knowledge in a free-text format, which was evaluated using Atlas.ti. In the second round, the statements of the questionnaire, based on a content analysis of the first round of responses, were ranked by experts on a 6-point Likert scale. In this case, 126 responses were received. The ranked statements were evaluated using IBM SPSS 25 statistical program and the validity of our hypotheses was tested. The results confirmed that a trust-based organisational culture, based on the values of sustainability leadership, is a prerequisite for knowledge sustainability. Alignment of the elements of the knowledge management process with organisational objectives is essential for the long-term sustainability of knowledge and the IT tools of the organisation play a dominant role. The comparison of the 3 groups of experts isolated in the study and the opinions by continent did not show any significant differences. As a final summary of the results of the research, a definition of knowledge sustainability was formulated, which provides a new basis for further research into the theory and practice of building sustainable knowledge management systems.