Organisational knowledge management: three case studies in the hospitality industry

Under organisational theories, knowledge management is the organisational capacity to develop, innovate and enhance competitiveness. From this perspective, knowledge management is a management context in which knowledge is used. The main issue is the creation of an environment in which the development, acquisition and dissemination of new knowledge can be fostered and nurtured using organisational tools explicitly designed for that purpose. From the perspective of organisations, knowledge resides in documents, routines, procedures, practices and norms. However, above all, knowledge is reflected in the organisational development of new products and services, in taking decisions regarding customers and in the formulation of strategies. Such knowledge is the result of the dissemination of knowledge by individual organisational structures. Hospitality is an activity-based service sector in which information and knowledge are fundamental in order to develop realistic strategies and business plans. This paper thus presents an analytical model and several preliminary results of an investigation called "Organisational Knowledge Management in Tourism Organisations". This study investigates how tourism organisations in the Algarve region of Portugal manage knowledge by observing how they create, retain, share and use it. This empirical research is based on three case studies of hotels that use documental research, interviews and questionnaires as well as the analytic model introduced herein. The latter identifies the different stages of knowledge management (acquisition / knowledge creation and retention / storage and transfer / sharing and use) and the management practices that facilitate it (strategic management, organisational culture, structure and work processes, human resources policies, information systems and communication, measuring results and relationships with the environment outside the organisation). As far as is possible, we have taken into account the multifaceted characteristics of knowledge management and its practical significance. The two major axes of the model do not exist in isolation. Rather, they complement each other and are essential for a comprehensive approach to knowledge management.