Knowledge Management Enablers and Process in Hospital Organizations

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Behavior
• Information Science

Background:

• Effective knowledge management (KM) is crucial for healthcare organizations to improve patient care and operational efficiency.
• Understanding the enablers of KM processes is vital for developing successful strategies in tertiary hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of key knowledge management enablers on the KM process within Korean tertiary hospitals.
• To analyze how organizational structure, leadership, learning, IT systems, trust, and collaboration affect knowledge creation, storage, sharing, and application.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires in four Korean tertiary hospitals.
• Data from 779 participants were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 to assess the relationships between KM enablers and processes.

Main Results:

• The study found that various organizational factors significantly influence the knowledge management process.
• The impact of these factors on knowledge management processes varied across the surveyed hospital organizations, indicating unique contextual effects.

Conclusions:

• Managerial strategies for fostering knowledge management must consider the specific organizational context of each hospital.
• Tailored approaches are necessary to effectively encourage and support the entire knowledge management lifecycle, from creation to application.