Measuring user satisfaction with knowledge management systems: scale development, purification, and initial test

The shift from a product-based to a knowledge-based economy has resulted in an increased demand for knowledge workers who are capable of higher-order thinking and reasoning to solve intricate problems in the workplace. This requires organizations to introduce knowledge management systems (KMS) for employees and has fueled predictions and speculations about what makes KMS effective. Unfortunately, there are very few empirical studies that examine this issue. Thus, this paper develops a validated instrument to measure user satisfaction as a surrogate measure of KMS effectiveness. Based on a survey of 147 respondents practicing mostly in four international semiconductor manufacturing companies in the Hsin-Chu Science-based Industrial Park in Taiwan suggests a 16-item instrument that measures four dimensions of user satisfaction with knowledge management systems (USKMS) is well-validated. The instrument and comprehensive model proposed in this paper would be valuable to researchers and practitioners interested in designing, implementing, and managing knowledge management systems.