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Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often do not have slack resources with which to develop internally a broad spectrum of capabilities and to observe in depth the firm's environment. Therefore, they need to carefully develop abilities to absorb knowledge from outside the firm's boundaries so as to have access to cutting-edge knowledge in spite of limited resources. One strategy is to establish knowledge management (KM) projects for this purpose. In this paper, we describe how KM projects and subsequently emerging KM routines in SMEs facilitate the enhancement of the firm's absorptive capacity (AC; i.e., the ability to recognize, capture, and assimilate external knowledge). Our results indicate the importance of recognizing potential knowledge providers prior to any absorption of knowledge from external sources. Furthermore, we emphasize the relevance of routines for absorbing knowledge and we distinguish between KM routines that are deliberately developed for absorbing knowledge and KM projects where knowledge absorption happens unconsciously. Finally, we point out that different stages of an AC process follow different logics (exploration vs. exploitation) and, thus, a skilful management of the AC cycle is necessary to leverage externally absorbed knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to report an explicit taxonomy of maritime operations (MO) to guide harbour masters (HMs) of smaller ports in planning more sustainable operations.

This research presents strategies for building theory to promote more sustainable port management in a two-stage research design. Starting from a base taxonomy in research Stage 1, ethnographic content analysis (ECA) of a sparse prior literature on MO generated a tentative taxonomy. In Stage 2, interviews to capture tacit practitioner knowledge refined the tentative taxonomy into a credible practitioner-informed final taxonomy.

ECA offers researchers a powerful tool to analyse complex operational problems. In this paper MOs are represented in an explicit taxonomy.

A final taxonomy of MOs guides sustainability strategy formulation by HMs and assists them to protect vital commercial revenues which serve supply chains and local communities.

An explicit final taxonomy of MO is derived using a novel methodology. The taxonomy guides sustainability strategy formulation and underpins subsequent planning of sustainable development policies.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify how end‐users' tacit knowledge can be captured and integrated in an overall business process management (BPM) approach. Current approaches to support stakeholders' collaboration in the modelling of business processes envision an egalitarian environment where stakeholders interact in the same context, using the same languages and sharing the same perspectives on the business process. Therefore, such stakeholders have to collaborate in the context of process modelling using a language that some of them do not master, and have to integrate their various perspectives.

The paper applies the SECI knowledge management process to analyse the problems of traditional top‐down BPM approaches and BPM collaborative modelling tools. Besides, the SECI model is also applied to Wikipedia, a successful Web 2.0‐based knowledge management environment, to identify how tacit knowledge is captured in a bottom‐up approach.

The paper identifies a set of requirements for a hybrid BPM approach, both top‐down and bottom‐up, and describes a new BPM method based on a stepwise discovery of knowledge.

This new approach, Processpedia, enhances collaborative modelling among stakeholders without enforcing egalitarianism. In Processpedia tacit knowledge is captured and standardised into the organisation's business processes by fostering an ecological participation of all the stakeholders and capitalising on stakeholders' distinctive characteristics.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the knowledge management (KM) loop process in a work package (WP)-based project engineering management method. The purpose of the KM loop is the routine capture of learnings to improve work practices in both the project and the firm.

A conceptual model for a project KM loop is developed by researching various KM theories found in the literature and incorporating the most applicable concepts and bridging any gaps in an attempt to overcome the reported impediments to learning in projects. A specific WP-based project engineering method (the STBQ method) is chosen as the framework for illustrating the workings and advantages of the KM loop. The author’s experiential judgement is used in applying selected academic concepts to create a KM process particularly useful for consulting engineering firms engaged in the detailed design phase of heavy industrial projects notwithstanding the fact that it may be beneficial in other project environments.

Completion of a WP can be used as a natural point in time for the collection of lessons learned (LL). At post-WP debriefing meetings, intuitive learnings can be contributed by individuals and interpreted in the context of the recently completed WP. When seen to be applicable, the project engineer integrates this newly gained experiential knowledge into the project’s job instructions for immediate implementation on other WPs remaining in the project scope. Through the project manager, these new or revised job instructions are proposed as candidates for new or revised standard practices to the senior managers of the engineering firm who can institutionalize them by approval for use in other in-progress or future projects.

The KM loop described here is specifically intended to be used with the STBQ method where the 100 per cent rule is applied and where each WP sub-team is tasked with the delivery of their WP safely, on-time, on-budget and with no quality deficiencies as the criteria for success of their WP. A research limitation is that capturing learnings throughout the project does not solve the problem of capturing post-project learnings from design errors surfacing during construction, in commissioning, or after start-up during on-going operations and maintenance. Nonetheless, innovative ideas and improvements can be found during the detailed engineering phase and the KM loop captures these for intra-project and inter-project use.

The extra effort of decomposing requirements into WPs not only helps control project costs, schedule, quality and safety but also provides an effective way to capture knowledge from project learnings for intra-project and inter-project use.

The lessons-learned sessions held at the completion of each WP provides an opportunity to provide motivation and morale boosting to the WP sub-team members.

This paper contributes what is believed to be the first WP-based KM loop in project engineering management using a specific application of the 4I framework of organizational learning. In addition, when applied in the STBQ method or any other method that uses interim WPs for both planning and reporting, the LL sessions can be pre-scheduled and budgeted separately from the subject WP. This helps to overcome the problem widely reported in projects that not enough calendar time or person-hours can be spared to attend the LL sessions.

The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for social business process management (BPM) in which social tagging is used to capture process knowledge emerging during the design and enactment of the processes. Process knowledge concerns both the type of activities chosen to fulfil a certain goal and the skills and experience of users in executing specific tasks. This knowledge is exploited by recommendation tools to support the design and enactment of current and future process instances.

The literature about traditional BPM is analysed to highlight the limitations of traditional BPM regarding management of ad hoc and semi-structured processes. Having identified this gap, an innovative BPM framework based on social tagging is proposed to address these limitations. This model is exemplified in a real case scenario and evaluated through the implementation of a prototype and a case study in real world non-profit organisation.

An overview of the social BPM framework is presented, introducing the concepts of role and task recommendation, which are supported by social tagging. The prototype shows the buildability of the social BPM framework as an extension of a Wiki platform. The case study demonstrates that the social BPM framework improves user collaborativeness in designing and executing process instances.

The applicability of the framework is targeted to ad hoc and possibly semi-structured business processes and it does not extend to highly procedural and codified processes. A single case study limits the generalisability of the evaluation results.

The social BPM framework is the first to introduce task and role recommendation supported by social tagging to overcome the limitations of traditional BPM models.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ownership of public sector organizations on the implementation of knowledge management (KM) processes and subsequent performance.

Using 268 responses obtained from a structured country-wide survey, the study assesses the hypothesized differences in the implementation of KM processes (knowledge creation, knowledge capture and storage, knowledge sharing and knowledge application and use), the overall performance benefits of implementation (innovation, quality and operational performance), and their relationships, among the federal, state and semi-government organizations in the United Arab Emirates.

The results show that federal government organizations implement all four KM processes to the greatest extent, followed by state and semi-government organizations. In general, all KM processes had a significant positive impact on the innovation, quality and operational performance of the public sector, but the strength of this impact was found to differ across different public sector organizations. The overall improvement in all three performance aspects was found to be highest for federal, followed by state and semi-government organizations.

The findings of this study are useful for practitioners and policymakers, especially those overseeing national KM programs to devise strategies, policies and support mechanisms to ensure that public sector organizations, regardless of their ownership, can implement efficient and effective KM processes and achieve their desired performance goals.

The study is arguably the first comprehensive attempt to understand the impact of firm ownership on KM in the public sector.

This paper sets out to integrate research on knowledge management with the dynamic capabilities approach. This paper will add to the understanding of dynamic capabilities by demonstrating that dynamic capabilities can be seen as composed of concrete and well‐known knowledge management activities.

This paper is based on a literature review focusing on key knowledge management processes and activities as well as the concept of dynamic capabilities, the paper connects these two approaches. The analysis is centered on knowledge management activities which then are compiled into dynamic capabilities.

In the paper eight knowledge management activities are identified; knowledge creation, acquisition, capture, assembly, sharing, integration, leverage, and exploitation. These activities are assembled into the three dynamic capabilities of knowledge development, knowledge (re)combination, and knowledge use. The dynamic capabilities and the associated knowledge management activities create flows to and from the firm's stock of knowledge and they support the creation and use of organizational capabilities.

The findings in the paper demonstrate that the somewhat elusive concept of dynamic capabilities can be untangled through the use of knowledge management activities. Practicing managers struggling with the operationalization of dynamic capabilities should instead focus on the contributing knowledge management activities in order to operationalize and utilize the concept of dynamic capabilities.

The paper demonstrates that the existing research on knowledge management can be a key contributor to increasing our understanding of dynamic capabilities. This finding is valuable for both researchers and practitioners.

An investigation of the importance of the knowledge of the key individuals in organisations, knowledge within organisations as well as customer capital and knowledge; and how these might impact on sustainable competitive advantage of small and medium sized enterprises. The key challenges for knowledge‐intensive SMEs are the identification, capture, storing, mapping, dissemination and creation of knowledge from different perspectives and for different purposes.

Based on a thorough review of literature and field study, this paper presents and discusses the benefits of knowledge management (KM) for sustainable competitiveness in SMEs in surveying practices. A field study was conducted, involving 12 professionals from eleven organisations, of which 2 of the 11 organisations were surveying practices.

The paper highlights the role of strategies, tools and techniques which might be of assistance. The paper concludes that managing knowledge assets in SME is not easy. It is an integrated and complex social process, which has culture, people, finance, technology and organisational structures at its core. The paper also notes that SMEs can benefit from effective KM practices for sustainable competitiveness.

Recommendations are offered to surveying practices that are already involved with formal KM initiatives and those SMEs that aspire to do so.

An innovative study applying knowledge management principles to small and medium sized surveying practices.

As economies move into the information age and post‐industrial era, information and knowledge become important resources to organizations. The article sets out to discuss the role and contribution of business process modeling (BPM) in the knowledge management initiative and in the management of company‐specific knowledge.

The authors consider BPM as a tool for knowledge management that allows the transformation of informal knowledge into formal knowledge and facilitates its externalization and sharing. The article starts with the brief introduction of the theoretical background of business process modeling and its basic concepts, and also presents definitions and concepts of major knowledge categories, knowledge processes and knowledge resources, as have been given by different authors in the knowledge management (KM) domain. These definitions are used as a basis for the knowledge category model and knowledge process model proposed by the authors.

The article presents findings of the mapping process of the BPM concepts into the knowledge life‐cycle model, proposed by Nonaka and Takeuchi and knowledge categories defined by different authors. During mapping, the authors experienced a lack of explicit and widely accepted definitions of knowledge categories and knowledge processes in respect of all knowledge features.

The article emphasizes an important differentiation between various categories of knowledge, identified in the BPM process, as a basis for the business process‐related knowledge categorization and identification of key knowledge processes. The article also presents the theoretical framework, which gives an account of how and when business process models capture and allow the sharing of knowledge. The framework identifies key knowledge categories, stages in knowledge transformation, and activities in this process.

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the extent that knowledge management (KM) is practiced by Islamic and conventional banks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Following secondary research, structured in‐depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with CEOs, senior managers, and department heads of eight banks in the UAE.

Islamic banks in the UAE were found to be relatively more actively engaged in KM than conventional banks. However, both Islamic and conventional banks were found to be focused on knowledge capture, knowledge transfer, and knowledge sharing. Most of the banks in this study could be classified as being in the pre‐ or early implementation phase of KM. The study found scant knowledge‐based marketing taking place in either type of bank. None of the banks was found to have a dedicated knowledge champion (KM Officer). Similarly, none of the banks was identified as possessing a strong organization‐wide KM culture.

Cultural norms concerning privacy limited willingness to participate and information sharing. Although the sample was small, it was deemed reliable, as participants not only understood the importance of research to the development of the UAE, a country very keen to participate in the knowledge‐based economy, but they also held key positions in their banks which allowed them full knowledge of the scope of KM implementation, utilization, and practice in their organizations and they agreed to full disclosure and transparency in their responses. The implication of this research is that best practice in KM can be implemented in banks in the UAE once KM gaps are identified.

The banking sector is an important element of the UAE economy. Successful and appropriate implementation of KM practices in UAE banks may buttress the Emirati economy, especially during the current banking crisis. The insight gained from the initial findings of this research can assist KM implementation, utilization, and practice in UAE banks, thereby aiding organizations' learning and the development of a knowledge culture in banks which, in turn, may lead to increased productivity and gains in competitive advantage, growth, and profit.