Investigating the Relationship between Knowledge Management and Employees' Innovative Behavior at Custom Organizations of Guilan Province
(ProQuest: denotes formulae omitted.)IntroductionKnowledge management is an interdisciplinary business model which is concerned with all aspects of knowledge production, knowledge encryption, knowledge exchange and knowledge application to improve learning and innovation in the context of company. Knowledge management deals with both current technological tools and organizational methods including: Production of new knowledge, acquisition of valuable knowledge from external sources, using this knowledge in decision making, importing knowledge in processes, products and services, encoding information in the documentation, software and databases, facilitating the growth of knowledge, transferring knowledge to other parts of the organization and ultimately measuring effectiveness of knowledge assets and knowledge management. (Leonard, 1990)Currently innovation in the present technological environment is essential for organizations and most organizations are looking for new ideas. In this regard, organization experts are trying to use knowledge to offer new products or services that customers want, and take steps to create an infra structure in which innovation is an ongoing process just like learning process, because the purpose of knowledge management by innovation is survival of today's organization. Experts in knowledge management believe that mechanisms of innovation and knowledge management processes are compatible. (Mohammad Zadeh 1380)Literature ReviewMalhotra (2004) defines knowledge management as doing right things rather than doing things right. (Barney, 1991) According to Holm (2001) knowledge management is production, adaptation, transferring and storage of sound knowledge and information for better policy designing, reforming actions and transferring results. (Loncarevic and Muhic, 2005) Knowledge management is a project that produces knowledge, protects it, absorbs it, coordinates it, combines it, modifies it and distributes it. (Dufour and Steane, 2007)Beckman (1999) has proposed eight steps for knowledge management process:1. Identification: internal qualification, source strategy, knowledge domain.2. Capture: formalizing existing knowledge.3. Selection: To determine knowledge relation, value and accuracy, elimination of maladaptive knowledge.4. Saving: To introduce a memory in the knowledge reservoir joint with a variety of knowledge patterns.5. Distribution: automatically distribution of knowledge for users based on the interest and knowledge of work and collaboration among groups.6. Application: recycling and using knowledge in decision making, problem solving, job automation and supervising, and social servicing in job and education.7. Developing production of new knowledge along with research, job experimentation and creative thinking.8. Trading off: sales and trading, development and supplying new knowledge in form of products and services to the market. (Afrazeh 1384)Polanyi (1966) has divided human knowledge into two categories: Explicit Knowledge and Tacit Knowledge. Explicit knowledge or encoded knowledge, is a kind of knowledge that can be expressed in form of systematic and official language, and is transferable. On the other hand, tacit knowledge has individual characteristics and this fact makes its regulation and transfer specifies. For Polanyi, tacit knowledge is comprehensive knowledge of human mind and body while explicit knowledge can be reserved in libraries, archives and databases and can be evaluated based on a consecutive basis. Explicit knowledge is a widespread knowledge which can easily be shaped. Explicit knowledge includes what an organization or individual already knows and it can be pretty easily communicated with. For example the fact that if a person goes out in the rain without an umbrella will be wet, is an explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is a knowledge which usually is maintained by an individual as a result of his own experience.