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This paper aims to study a circular economy business model that offers services with embedded information exchange capabilities to extend product life through maintenance and repair. Information exchange has been identified as a critical factor in advancing the principles of a circular economy, and this research was conducted to illustrate how information exchange can facilitate maintenance and repair.

The study has a case study approach of collecting data through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires.

Information exchange on what and when to do something engages end-users in maintenance and facilitates learning. For repair, the problem description and possible solutions are information that must be exchanged. Both types of information exchange are facilitated by simple tech solutions relying on known and inexpensive technology (e.g. e-mail service, video call and text messaging).

The study contributes to the organisational development and knowledge management fields with novel insights on how information exchange and circular economy are related and can be facilitated.

The study provides insights for companies looking for solutions on how to generate revenue from services and reduce resource consumption. The findings of the study suggest that the development of circular business models does not always require expensive high-tech solutions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is unique as it is empirically based on insights into how information exchange can extend product life through the use of simple digital tools.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the knowledge management (KM) approach followed by small companies. In particular, after introducing the notion of emergent approach, the paper aims to examine if that notion is useful to properly describe the way small businesses approach their KM activities.

The study is based on the results of a qualitative survey involving 12 owners and managers of small companies belonging to the knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) sector. The survey uses the case-study method.

The findings confirm that the approach to KM adopted by small companies can be defined as emergent: in the analysed cases, there were no formal KM plans, despite the fact that the examined companies have all introduced various KM practices. This shows that there can be the need to define KM approaches that better fit smaller companies.

Although an emergent approach may be seen as unplanned, companies should learn how to be aware of their KM practices and, once they are, how to develop them properly. For executives to be able to recognize emergent KM practices, notions and elements of KM need to be introduced in their business background and professional education (e.g. how KM fits into a small organization, what KM processes are, what KM tools and practices exist, etc.).

The study contributes to the understanding of KM in really small entities, still a much under-explored topic.

Enterprise social media (ESM) platforms are rapidly diffusing in the business context because they can bring substantial benefits to companies by enhancing their knowledge management (KM) processes. However, such benefits materialize only if active employee participation is ensured. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how individual employees use an ESM platform to assist their knowledge-related activities. This paper contributes to this topic by proposing a classification of ESM users based on two dimensions: frequency and type (active or passive) of use.

The paper presents the results of a survey of 262 employees of an international engineering service company that has adopted an ESM platform to support its KM processes. Statistical methods (e.g. ANOVA, Tukey’s b) were applied to verify the usefulness of the proposed typology and identify the main aspects that characterize the different user groups.

The survey results confirm the existence of different types of ESM users and provide the empirical basis for developing a bi-dimensional classification from which four user groups were derived and characterized: frequent contributors, sporadic contributors, frequent lurkers and sporadic lurkers.

The main limitation is that only one company in one sector with specific knowledge needs and capabilities was investigated.

The study provides useful suggestions for how to promote the use of an ESM and particularly for how to encourage less frequent and less active users to increase their participation in a platform.

The paper contributes to a better understanding of how employees approach ESM by identifying factors that characterize different user groups.

This paper aims to study the impact of intentionally developed communities of practice (CoPs) on knowledge sharing and practice improvement in an administrative public sector organisation (PSO).

A case study approach was used to analyse the impact of the CoPs intentionally developed by four different teams at a Danish PSO. The study applied a CoP development framework suggested by the literature to develop the CoPs.

Three out of the four CoPs were successfully developed, and they positively affected knowledge sharing and practice improvement. CoP participants engaged in conversations to explore individual ways of working, share knowledge and ultimately improve practice. Standardisation and boundary spanning were identified as contextual factors influencing the CoP activities.

The findings verify the framework and contribute to a better understanding of the factors affecting the development of CoPs that positively impact knowledge sharing and practice improvements in a PSO context.

The study provides operations managers in PSOs with a framework for developing CoPs to improve work performance through better knowledge sharing among employees.

The paper provides case study evidence for the relevance of CoPs in PSO settings and highlights the necessity of investing resources in employee knowledge-sharing interactions.

This paper aims to categorise the approaches to knowledge management (KM) by companies. In the literature, there is no consensus on a universal or “best” approach to KM. Especially, this paper singles out and discusses the variegated features that characterise the implementation of KM by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) having different characteristics.

A cluster analysis was used to detect the possible distinct traits of companies that have different approaches to KM. The unit of analysis is represented by small- and medium-sized knowledge intensive business services (KIBS) firms. Data were collected by means of an extensive survey of 223 companies in different European countries and sectors.

Three clusters were identified: Companies showing a relative “unconscious” attention to KM and implementing KM practices without particular awareness; Companies adopting a more conscious approach and using a significant number of KM practices; and companies with a marginal propensity towards KM.

This study considers only KIBS, and future research should include other economic sectors. In addition, a convenience sample was used.

This paper improves awareness of managers of small companies concerning different KM approaches that can be adopted. It highlights that a conscious adoption of a KM strategy involves the introduction of a set of consistent practices.

The topic of KM approaches by small companies is still underdeveloped in the literature. Also, the paper proposes a multi-contextual investigation that makes it possible to highlight the transversality of KM approaches across different countries or sectors.

Corporate universities (CUs) are particular educational arrangements that are established in companies to provide specific training to employees. This paper aims to examine the place of CUs in the knowledge-management (KM) field. Particularly, it discusses on how CUs are seen in the KM literature, analyses relevant KM aspects that emerge in CU implementation and management and proposes preliminary classifications based on some fundamental KM notions.

Given the novelty of the research, the case study methodology was adopted. In particular, a multiple case-study investigation of CUs implemented in medium-sized companies mainly operating in the northeast of Italy was conducted. The analysed companies were selected according to “maximum variation sampling” approach, which aims at generating maximum meaningful heterogeneity within the chosen sample, to highlight similarities and differences between the cases. Data collection was conducted by means of interviews to key observers, interviews to company managers and analysis of documentary materials.

The empirical investigation proves that KM concepts can be pertinent and useful in understanding the design and functioning of CUs. In particular, the study proposes a classification of CUs based on KM notions.

The study shows that there is a need to conduct further studies to better understand educational arrangements like CUs under a KM viewpoint.

The analysis and the proposed classification can be of help for CU design and management. In addition, it is suggested that companies must achieve better awareness of the importance of CUs as an effective KM tool.

The study contributes to deepen our understanding of an issue that, even if is strictly connected with the cognitive aspects of companies, has not been sufficiently analyzed by the knowledge management literature.

This paper intends to present and discuss the findings of a case study analysis of the adoption and use of a wiki system by a small enterprise that is intended as a tool for managing the knowledge needed to successfully perform its business activities. The study aims at contributing to the still insufficient research on the factors influencing the use of new Web 2.0 technologies in small organisations to support internal knowledge management.

The study combines a qualitative and quantitative approach. The main unit of analysis is the wiki system of a small company, particularly its implementation and usage by the company’s employees. Relevant information about the wiki was collected through six interviews to different company members, and by means of an online survey submitted to almost all employees. Interviews involved the CEO of the company, the system developers and two typical users. The survey was made through a questionnaire of 19 questions online administered by means of a popular free-access online poll website (freeonlinesurveys.com).

Through the reconstruction of the history of the system, the study allowed to understand how the wiki has been introduced and is effectively used inside the case company. The findings of the study highlight that the wiki technology, being light and user-friendly, can be particularly suited for small companies. At the same time, they reveal that the successful implementation of such a system is not a spontaneous and automatic result, but requires a resolute support by top management, a good motivation of participating employees and a clear definition of purposes and ways of use.

The findings of the study contribute both to the academic research, by making available to scholars further empirical evidence about the use of Web 2.0 technologies in small organisations, and to the practice, by providing some guidelines to managers of small companies who are attempting to adopt and use wikis to effectively manage their knowledge assets.

The paper contributes to the limited research about the adoption and use of wikis as knowledge management system, both in general and in the particular case of a SME. Furthermore, by investigating the behaviours and opinions of individual knowledge workers, it takes into account a perspective that the literature has so far neglected.

After the good results achieved during the last decade, the Italian apparel industry is encountering new problems. On one side, changed customers' tastes and the crisis of the ‘griffe’ have contributed to heavily reduce the attractiveness of the ‘made in Italy’ label. On the other, the increasing globalisation and the growth of low wage competition have made a direct presence abroad essential. To tackle this intriguing situation many companies have reconsidered their business strategy by looking for new competitive arrangements. This paper presents the results of a multi‐case analysis concerning the process of strategic orientations started by several Italian clothing firms. More specifically, it tries to identify and describe the strategic responses that a substantial group of important and widely known enterprises have recently given; the aim is to understand if there is a common guideline that inspires them.

Since its introduction, the notion of Communities of Practice (CoPs) has gained immediate popularity, especially among Knowledge Management scholars. The paper aims at reviewing the past and discussing what has been done. In particular the purposes are: to assess the importance of CoPs in the KM literature; to trace how this notion is defined and used, both in practical and theoretical terms; to classify the approaches used by KM research on CoPs; to discuss the results that research and practice in CoPs have led so far, the open issues, and the potential role of this notion in a future KM research agenda.

The paper illustrates and discusses the findings of a systematic literature review on CoPs focusing on papers published in the most influential Knowledge Management and Intellectual Capital Journals.

The study analyses 82 articles published in 12 different KM and IC leading journals from 1997 to 2012. Each article was examined to determine the following information: type of study; domain of application; research methodology applied and addressed topic. Emerging trends, open questions and further research needs are identified and discussed. In particular, an issue for researchers is the necessity to formulate an agreed definition of CoPs under the KM umbrella, which can also help to implement comparable empirical studies and to build theories that provide understanding of how CoPs can be managed.

The outcomes of the review is particularly important for KM scholars dealing with CoPs, who can find suggestions for their future research. It can also provide food for thought to practitioners, by illustrating the state-of-the-art and prospects of this important organisational form. In addition, the paper highlights that, despite the huge amount of studies on this topic, the notion of CoP is still used in different ways and the specific experience of each company is difficult to generalise and transfer to other cases.

This is the most up-to-date analysis of research on CoPs in its elective field of application that is Knowledge Management.

The aim of the paper is to discuss the critical issues concerning the design and implementation of communities of practice (CoPs), that are increasingly being developed in global networked corporations to connect dispersed and (semi)autonomous units, departments, and working teams.

The paper explores, summarises, and discusses the current literature and the reported experience of internal CoPs as a starting‐point to develop a comprehensive and systematic framework of the functioning of such structures.

An explanatory framework is proposed, which identifies and integrates the main dimensions shaping the creation and management of CoPs.

The proposed speculation is based on a survey of more than 200 studies specifically focusing on CoPs in business environments. Owing to space constraints, only part of this is reported in the reference list, but further details can be requested from the authors. This study can also provide a consistent model for future empirical validations through case‐study analysis or action research.

The suggested framework, identifying the critical dimensions and issues, can be of use for the design and management of CoPs intentionally created by firms.

The study attempts to draw a comprehensive and coherent picture of elements that are generally treated disjointedly, both in academic studies and in practice.