Maturity in Knowledge Management: practical application of a method

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the maturity level in Knowledge Management of a business advisory and accounting services company. This assessment was made from the application of a prototypical instrument, which is part of a model - under development - for assessing the maturity and potential for the practice of Knowledge Management in organizations. This model establishes five levels of maturity in Knowledge Management, as follows: (1) Incognito (unknown); (2) Manifest (known); (3) Incipient (initial, embryonic); (4) Managing (progress); and (5) Holistic (totality). For the analysis of maturity in Knowledge Management, a questionnaire was applied to the population of employees of the company, obtaining a sample of 90.9%. A quantitative approach was applied for data analysis. By results, the company falls into level three out of five of maturity in Knowledge Management, which is considered an incipient stage (initial, embryonic), as it seeks to manage knowledge and its critical areas of success. It is concluded that the presented maturity method reflects the reality of the analyzed company. It is expected that it can contribute to other organizations that want to assess its level of maturity in Knowledge Management.

Keywords:
Knowledge management; Maturity; Level