The impact of knowledge management processes on organisational performance : The case of the airline industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate knowledge management (KM) processes and to investigate their impact on organisational performance (OP) within the context of the airline industry (AI). Design/methodology/approach – An inductive and deductive qualitative approach was used based on a preliminary study. A pilot study was conducted which involved the use of interviews as a primary data collection method. Content analysis was used to extract and analyse themes from the data. Findings – The study showed that knowledge usage is the most influential aspect of KM in terms of the impact on OP. Moreover, the study revealed that knowledge transfer is a common KM process employed by organisations. Research limitations/implications – This study outlined the findings of a pilot study which aimed to test a proposed conceptual model and to provide an initial understanding of the interrelationships between KM processes and OP. To this end, a number of interviews were conducted in order to consolidate a conceptual model. As such, the nature of this preliminary study imposed some time and context limitations. These limitations will be dealt within later stages of the research journey. Originality/value – The value of the study is generated from the extensive review of the literature it provided which enhanced proposing a conceptual model that was initially tested with the aim of defining an appropriate KM processes within a unique and yet untested context as well as describing the impact of these processes on OP. Determination of KM processes is expected to set a guideline for future research in the AI.