Disciplinary roots of knowledge management: a theoretical review

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to reflect on the development of knowledge management so as to argue whether knowledge management (KM) is a multidisciplinary field. Design/methodology/approach – To set the scene by reviewing and synthesizing the scholarly works and published practices of knowledge management, this paper presents an overview of the recent and rapidly growing literature on knowledge management. Findings – The paper presents a discussion, addressing the question of what those disciplines are on which knowledge management discourse is exactly drawn on. The fact is that knowledge management draws from a wide range of disciplines. Although scholars from several disciplines attempt to claim ownership of the knowledge management, today both practitioners and academics alike recognize that knowledge management is an eclectic field rather than grounded in a specific ideology. Research limitations/implications – The paper does not offer comprehensive understanding of the disciplinary roots of knowledge management because it has not reviewed all the papers available in KM. Practical implications – The paper does raise awareness of the genesis of knowledge management. It will encourage insightful managers to examine this research in more depth as a means of guidance for making use of KM initiatives in their organization. Originality/value – Highlighting the growing interest in knowledge management, the paper inspires knowledge management researchers to be rigorous in both disciplinary grounding and integration. Although the paper does not attempt to detail the origins and the gradual development of the KM field, it contributes to improving theory, practice, and pedagogy in the field of KM by articulating its origin.