Knowledge management: does gender matter? A systematic review of literature
Journal of Knowledge Management
ISSN: 1367-3270
Article publication date: 12 June 2020
Issue publication date: 10 August 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review for the first time existing research literature about the role of gender in creating, sharing and using knowledge in organizations and proposes a conceptual framework to guide future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the systematic literature review method this study collects, synthesizes and analyses articles related to knowledge management (KM) and gender published in online databases by following a pre-defined review protocol. The paper analyses 41 papers published in peer-reviewed journals.
Findings
The role of gender in KM has been rarely addressed in KM journals and journals with specific emphasis on gender. The existing literature is fragmented, but existing research suggests that knowledge sharing might be influenced by gender. Based on the analysis and synthesis, a conceptual framework is proposed to guide further research on determining if gender matters in KM.
Research limitations/implications
Academic researchers should aim to include gender-related variables into their KM research to further explore if gender matters in KM.
Practical implications
The practical implication suggests that managers and knowledge managers should raise awareness about how stereotypes and gendered expectations about role behaviour affect how knowledge and experiences are created and shared within the organization.
Social implications
The authors believe that a better understanding of knowledge handling and gendered role expectations at the workplace could also have an impact beyond organizational boundaries.
Originality/value
The paper presents the first comprehensive systematic literature review of the article published on knowledge creation, sharing and usage and gender and provides a conceptual framework for future research.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research is supported by the Master’s Research Project Students 2017: Ms Ivanova, Ms Nzekou, Ms Tausch; and Mr Sovic.The authors like to thank our research students for their effort and discussions within this research project.Furthermore, this research was partly funded by the German Federal “Women Professors Programme in Higher Education” at the University of Applied Sciences – FH Potsdam.The authors like to thank the office of equal opportunities at the FH Potsdam for this support.
Citation
Heisig, P. and Kannan, S. (2020), "Knowledge management: does gender matter? A systematic review of literature", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 1315-1342. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2018-0472
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited