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This study seeks to explore factors affecting the implementation of knowledge activities, which are the organizational culture which many knowledge management programs adopt. The main problem under investigation is to assess the importance of organizational culture within an enterprise and to ascertain how it can ensure that knowledge activities would continue to be fitting and proper in an enterprise.

An empirical survey was conducted in 154 Taiwanese companies to investigate understanding of the organizational cultures, determine enablers and barriers to implement knowledge activities.

It is suggested that enterprises should adopt an entrepreneurial culture when establishing knowledge activities.

Since it was a mass mailing of a somewhat lengthy, blind survey to busy managers, the response rate was believed to be low. Even so, because of the low response rate, the generalized nature of these finds is somewhat in question, and it is important that the study be replicated in Taiwan.

The awareness of the external versus internal focus of the organizations will make the organization more or less aware of adoptions in organizational culture efforts and either more or less conducive to implementing knowledge activities.

This study points out the need for the consideration of culture when knowledge activities are implemented that may be incompatible with the existing culture. Such organizations can benefit from understanding culture's role in knowledge activities implementation.

The knowledge base of a firm is increasingly believed to underlie firm performance, and culture is commonly viewed as the major obstacle to effective knowledge management. This study seeks to evaluate the relevance of organizational culture and to explore how it can influence the achievement of knowledge sharing within an enterprise.

An empirical survey of Taiwan's firms was conducted to study organizational cultures, but also to determine how risk‐avoiding culture affects the achievement of knowledge sharing.

An effective culture is formed by process formalization and tendentiousness of a defensively firm attitude to decision making should be developed. Furthermore, management should plan a healthy empowerment system to encourage employees to fully utilize their talents and skills in their jobs.

This study raises questions regarding the most appropriate combination of risk‐avoiding cultures for knowledge sharing. Since it involved a large mailing of a lengthy, blind survey to busy managers, the response rate was expected to be low. Even so, the low‐response rate raises questions regarding the generalizability of the finds, and thus it is important that the study be replicated in Taiwan or another country.

This study demonstrates the importance of considering risk‐avoiding cultures in achieving knowledge sharing in relation to issues of compatibility. Such organizations benefit from understanding the relationships between the three cultures and the implementation of such programs within organizations.

This study highlights the need to consider culture when knowledge management programs are implemented that may be incompatible with the existing culture. Such organizations can benefit from understanding the importance of culture in knowledge sharing.

While the prior research suggests that leadership has important influences on IT acceptance and use, there has been little empirical investigation that identifies the specific managerial behaviors associated with adoption success. This study attempts to address this issue by exploring the influence of empowering leadership on knowledge management system (KMS) adoption through its effects on task‐technology fit and compatibility.

To test the proposed research model, data were collected through a questionnaire survey sent to IT managers of 500 large companies in Taiwan.

The results show that empowering leadership has an indirect effect on KMS usage. Empowering leadership was positively related to both task‐technology fit and compatibility, which in turn were both positively related to usage of KMS.

There are two limitations to this study, requiring further examination and additional research. First, the sample was drawn from Taiwanese organizations. Hence, the research model should be tested further using samples from other countries, because cultural differences may exist between Taiwan and other countries. Second, this study obtained just 151 completed questionnaires for a 30.2 percent response rate. The limited number of respondents in the survey also causes concern. As a larger sample that brings more statistical power can provide more stable and consistent results, the study should be verified with a larger sample to increase generalization.

This study suggests that practitioners should not only focus on the technology issue (i.e. providing suitable knowledge to meet user needs and accruing high compatibility with user working style), but also be concerned with the impact of leadership style. Managers should consider how to empower subordinates appropriately, a decision that can indeed facilitate the development of an environment where employees participate in knowledge management activities more spontaneously. Without such appropriate leadership, however, even though firms may introduce a well‐built KMS, it is unlikely that system would effectively exert its full range of benefits.

The results of the study will be useful to practitioners in understanding the type of leadership that should be employed in the context of KMS, thus increasing the success rate for adopting the system and further achieving knowledge management goals.

The purpose of this paper is to broaden previous work on organizational learning and the factors that influence learning in organizational settings.

Qualitative and quantitative research methods that included in‐depth interviews and questionnaire distribution were used. Data gathered were analyzed using qualitative analysis along with statistical Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis.

Research results indicate that individual motivation to learn, team dynamics, and organization culture practices all have a significant level of influence on organization learning sustainability in non‐profit organizations.

This study provides a better understanding of what influences learning in organizations. The study adds on to existing definitions, theories and concepts and enables another depth of understanding to be explored. A major limitation of this study is its focus on the non‐profit sector and a selected number of organizations thereby limiting its applicability and ability to be generalized.

The findings of the study can help differentiate the learning phenomenon that takes place in organizations. Moreover, non‐profit organizations as well as managers and leaders would be able to better appreciate the learning that takes place in their organizations and create interventions that would enable them to motivate employees to learn effectively, enhance team dynamics, and shape their organization culture to promote their overall learning performance.

More empirical research is needed to better understand the nature of learning in organizations. This research adds to other empirical studies on organization learning while providing a basis for studying the factors that influence an organization's ability to sustain its learning in the long run.