Citation classics published in knowledge management journals. Part III: author survey

A structured literature review of scientometric research of the knowledge management discipline: a 2021 update

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to conduct a structured literature review of scientometric research of the knowledge management (KM) discipline for the 2012–2019 time period.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 175 scientometric studies of the KM discipline were identified and analyzed.

Findings

Scientometric KM research has entered the maturity stage: its volume has been growing, reaching six publications per month in 2019. Scientometric KM research has become highly specialized, which explains many inconsistent findings, and the interests of scientometric KM researchers and their preferred inquiry methods have changed over time. There is a dangerous trend toward a monopoly of the scholarly publishing market which affects researchers’ behavior. To create a list of keywords for database searches, scientometric KM scholars should rely on the formal KM keyword classification schemes, and KM-centric peer-reviewed journals should continue welcoming manuscripts on scientometric topics.

Practical implications

Stakeholders should realize that the KM discipline may successfully exist as a cluster of divergent schools of thought under an overarching KM umbrella and that the notion of intradisciplinary cohesion and consistency should be abandoned. Journal of Knowledge Management is unanimously recognized as a leading KM journal, but KM researchers should not limit their focus to the body of knowledge documented in the KM-centric publication forums. The top six most productive countries are the USA, the UK, Taiwan, Canada, Australia and China. There is a need for knowledge brokers that may deliver the KM academic body of knowledge to practitioners.

Originality/value

This is the most comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of the KM discipline.

Authorship trend and content analysis

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the classic characteristics of highly cited articles (HCAs) of top-ranked library and information science (LIS) journals and get acquainted with the high-quality works in specific areas of LIS for distinguishing what gets cited and who the prolific authors are.

Design/methodology/approach

The HCAs published across the top four LIS journals were downloaded, coded and a database was developed with basic metadata elements for analysis using bibliometric indicators. Lotka’s Inverse Square Law of Scientific Productivity was applied to assess the author’s productivity of HCA. The content analysis method was also used to find out the emerging areas of research that have sought high citations.

Findings

Inferences were drawn for the proposed five number of research questions pertaining to individual productivity, collaboration patterns country and institutional productivity, impactful areas of research. The Netherland found to be the potential player among all the affiliating countries of authors and Loet Leydesdorff tops the list among the prolific authors. It is observed that Lotka’s Classical Law also fits the HCA data set in LIS. “Research impact measurement and research collaboration,” “Social networking” and “Research metrics and citation-based studies” are found to be the emerging areas of LIS research.

Practical implications

Researchers may find a way what gets cited in specific areas of LIS literature and why along with who are the prolific authors.

Originality/value

This study is important from the perspective of the growing research field of the LIS discipline to identify the papers that have influenced others papers as per citation count, spot the active and more impactful topics in LIS research.

Does value matter? An examination of the impact of knowledge value on firm performance and the moderating role of knowledge breadth

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between the value of created knowledge and financial performance. It also assesses how knowledge breadth moderates the aforementioned relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Focusing on the US biotechnology industry, the study matches patents data from the National Bureau of Economic Research and the United States Patent and Trademark Office with firms’ data from COMPUSTAT. Generalized least squares estimation is used as an analytical technique, and random-effects models are used to evaluate effects of the independent variables based on both within- and between-organization variances.

Findings

The findings reveal that biotechnological firms that create knowledge of higher values are likely to have higher financial performance than those creating knowledge of less value. Moreover, knowledge breadth is shown to positively moderate the relationship between knowledge value and firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

Some of the limitations include not controlling for more firm-related and environmental factors that might have influenced firm performance.

Practical implications

The study provides evidence that the quality of knowledge should be significantly considered when creating new knowledge. That is, managers should prioritize the creation of highly valuable knowledge, even if it occasionally results in creating fewer numbers of patents. The paper also suggests that creating valuable knowledge that is broad and flexible should be an important objective for managers as it provides more opportunities to generate future rents.

Originality/value

The study emphasizes how the value of created knowledge impacts the financial performance of firms. It also illustrates how knowledge breadth moderates that relationship. The paper contributes to a stream of research that links knowledge management abilities and firm performance.