Purpose. This paper reports findings of up-to-date insights to fill the knowledge gap of lack of theoretical and practical understandings of how knowledge is utilized in medium-sized enterprises (MEs) for ensuring their performance excellence, healthy survival and growth, particularly using the contextual background of quality improvement as the standing point to concretize the research content and research participants’ mind-set for data collection. Design/methodology/approach. The empirical data were attained by conducting firstly an multiple-case study and thereafter a structured interview. Insights were obtained through analysing the collected data as well as triangulating the findings with the contention from the extant literature where available. Findings. A set of approaches for effective quality improvement knowledge (QIK) utilization in MEs have been identified and attested as well as prioritised for a clear guidance on their application by practical businesses. Originality/value. As a pioneering study on the particularly focused issue, namely a current knowledge gap – QIK utilization in MEs, theoretically the research contributes to the enrichment of the current KM and QI literature with a primary focus on knowledge utilization in MEs. Practically its findings provide insightful guidance to practice on the approaches of QIK utilization.
Wang ChengboLi XiaomeiSu HongTian Ying
Department of Business and Management
Year of publication: 2020Date of RADAR deposit: 2021-03-03