Emergent Versus Deliberate Knowledge Management Strategy: Literature Review and Case Study Analysis

This paper discusses emergent and deliberate knowledge management (KM) strategies on the basis of literature review and case study analysis. It grounds on the results of a comprehensive analysis of the literature on KM strategies and approaches adopted by companies of various sizes. Although KM strategies have been abundantly examined by scholars, not many studies compare deliberate and emergent approaches. By examining the case of two companies that adopted the two opposite approaches, the paper contributes to a better understanding of their character. The two KM approaches are illustrated with regard to aspects such as: origin, restraints, promoters, scope, universality, and adaptability. In addition, although it is not possible to generalize, and such an assignment cannot be taken as a golden rule, the paper advocates that emergent KM strategies might better fit the characteristics of small firms, while deliberate KM strategies might be more appropriate in the case of larger companies. Furthermore, the analysis seems to indicate that emergent KM approach is more in line with a KM personalisation strategy. At the same time both the approaches can equally support the different KM processes. The study suggests that companies should be aware of the strengths and the weaknesses of the two approaches, in order to choose the one that is more suitable to their organisational settings and operational circumstances. A limitation of the study is that the empirical results are restricted to two companies only (one in Italy and one in Poland).