Knowledge management in supply chain: An empirical study from France

Supply chain management has assumed a leading operations strategy position in both manufacturing and service industries, and over the past 10 years companies have seriously implemented supply chain management strategies in their organizations. Knowledge management (KM) is a major enabler of supply chain management, and is a critical element in information intensive and multi-cultured enterprise environments. Realizing the importance of knowledge management in supply chain (SC), an attempt has been made in this paper to propose a conceptual framework for KM in SC and to validate the framework with help of an empirical study conducted with French companies. Finally, a summary of findings and conclusions is presented for KM in SC.

Research highlights► We consider learning and knowledge management as drivers for supply chain development. ► We use the Nonaka’s four stage spiral model (SECI) to investigate French companies. ► We provide empirical support for understanding knowledge creation in supply chains. ► Learning can be realized across companies’ borders if companies work closely together. ► The creation of common and shared tools allows interorganizational knowledge creation.