Knowledge management practices in Turkish SMEs

Abstract

Purpose - Aims at finding out the senior managers' perceptions about the extent to which the components of KM contribute to the success of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach - In this paper, the current knowledge management practices in Turkish SMEs are searched through a survey. The survey is prepared depending on a basic model of knowledge management built by the author. Findings - The results of the survey show that Turkish SMEs do not like to share knowledge even within the company. The managers are afraid of losing the control of knowledge. However, since they close the information channels, they also prevent the incoming knowledge. Originality/value - This paper provides a basis for the research about knowledge management practices in SMEs in developing countries. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited. © 2007 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.