Strategic Knowledge Management in SMEs: Critical Factors for Sustainable Innovation
Abstract
Strategic knowledge management (SKM) is widely recognized as a key driver of sustainable innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); however, there is limited empirical understanding of how knowledge-related capabilities emerge, interact, and become operationalized within heterogeneous territorial contexts in emerging economies. This study develops an emergent theoretical model of SKM based on a qualitative approach grounded in Grounded Theory, drawing on 50 semi-structured interviews with SME leaders across Colombia’s five regions. Through iterative coding processes, four interrelated dimensions were identified: recognition of knowledge as a strategic asset, enabling leadership and learning culture, coexistence of formal and informal knowledge management practices, and territorial conditions shaping innovation capacity. From these dimensions, the central construct of strategic knowledge awareness emerged, capturing SMEs’ ability to deliberately recognize, mobilize, and apply knowledge for innovation. The findings reveal that sustainable innovation in SMEs is not driven solely by resource availability or technological adoption, but by the dynamic interaction between leadership, organizational culture, knowledge practices, and contextual conditions. Based on this evidence, the study proposes a systemic and relational SKM framework that integrates internal and external dimensions of organizational learning. This research contributes to the literature by advancing a context-sensitive, empirically grounded theory of knowledge management in SMEs and offers a scalable model for designing innovation strategies in emerging economies.Downloads
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