Research Directions for Knowledge Management

The emerging interest in knowledge management requires, and will probably receive, considerable scholarly inquiry. As research advances, it ought to be especially sensitive to preserving, and building upon, the already significant literatures on the management of technology, entrepreneurship, innovation, and business strategy. There are several research issues that are particularly salient and warrant special attention. Researchers need to: assemble evidence to test the proposition that firm-level competitive advantage in open economies flows fundamentally from difficult to replicate knowledge assets; make greater effort to quantify the value of intangible assets; understand generic inputs, idiosyncratic inputs, and profitability; and explore the importance of entrepreneurial versus administrative capabilities.