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The world is in the midst of transforming through the production of products and services enabled by the digitalisation process: the fourth industrial revolution (Hermann, Pentek, & Otto, 2016). The fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, refers to the use of disruptive technologies, such as; robotics, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) (Hermann et al., 2016; Xu, David, & Kim, 2018). There is severe competition between organisations and immense pressure on said organisations to deliver high-quality products and services. Organisations that embrace knowledge management systems can meet most of these business requirements speedily, efficiently and with minimum effort, as well as increase their subsidies and profit margin through improved service and product delivery (Chen, 2013; Milton & Lambe, 2016). To maintain a competitive edge, organisations must satisfy customers’ requirements by producing high-quality services which are expedited by embracing a Knowledge Management System (KMS) (Al-Shammari, 2008; Pawlowski & Bick, 2012).
A KMS is a set of defined business processes, procedures and activities used to implement knowledge management principles (Lech, 2014; Milton & Lambe, 2016). The ultimate objective of adopting a KMS is to enable the organisation to make quick, informed decisions, reuse institutional and individual experience to solve known problems, and stimulate innovation (Chen, 2013; Hermann et al., 2016). In addition, it could enable organisations to retain tacit knowledge, maintain proper content governance and authentication, increase focus on outcomes, enforce best practices and work smarter through knowledge refinement (Chen, 2013; Hermann et al., 2016).
However, current studies show that KMS implementation could be problematic across all sectors and multiple reasons are cited for this lack of KMS delivery (Botha, Botha, & Herselman, 2014; Coleman, 2014; Smuts, Van Der Merwe, Loock, & Kotzé, 2009). Some of the causes highlighted include the absence of defined business processes and unclear roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, the implementation of a KMS is costly, it requires dedicated human resources, a deep understanding of the subject domain and the ability to present knowledge in the most ideal format (Lenz, Peleg, & Reichert, 2012; Nonaka, 1994). The successful implementation of KMS lies in the understanding and adoption of a comprehensive and relevant framework (Maier, 2005; Smuts et al., 2009; Wiig, 1994). The KMS implementation framework must always provide the ability to measure its success, that is, identifying the difference that KMS brings to the organisation (Jennex, Smolnik, & Croasdell, 2008; Milton & Lambe, 2016).
Therefore, the objective of this paper is to explore KMS implementation frameworks and identifying the elements that will guide organisations when implementing a KMS. The research question that this study aims to address is: What aspects of knowledge management will guide organisations to implement KMSs successfully? The purpose of said guidelines are that they enable organisations to identify the nature of their KMS project and align it to the most relevant framework. The paper presents the critical success factors aligned to the identified framework aspects. By applying the guidelines of the most applicable framework, organisations save time, costs and the effort of having to investigate and choose an ideal KMS implementation framework. Adoption of the relevant, fit-for-purpose framework increases the chances of the KMS project succeeding as guidelines keep the teams focused, align to implementation plans and strategies, and avoid known implementation problems.