Knowledge management helps MindTree to flourish : Company makes the most of employee creativity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describes the role of knowledge management at MindTree, a medium-sized Indian information technology firm that has featured among the Global Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) and the best companies to work for. Design/methodology/approach – The paper investigates the relationship between knowledge management and innovation at the company and describes its various knowledge-management initiatives. Findings – The paper explains that the company streamlined the process of discovering what knowledge was lying where and established various policies and processes to encourage information sharing and creativity. Practical implications – It highlights the role of self-organized knowledge communities, various software tools and the prevailing organizational culture in promoting knowledge exchange and original thinking. Social implications – It hints that knowledge management will be an increasingly important source of competitive advantage in the years ahead. Originality/value – It describes knowledge-management practices that can be used by other companies to foster innovation and business leadership among employees.