Public sector knowledge management: a structured literature review
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review and critique the public sector knowledge management (KM) literature, offers an overview of the state of public sector KM research and outlines a future research agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
Articles published in KM journals are analyzed using a structured literature review methodology. The paper analyzes 180 papers published within ten journals specializing in the field of KM.
Findings
Public sector KM is a research area of growing importance. Findings show that few authors specialize in the field and there are several obstacles to developing a cohesive body of literature. Low levels of international cooperation among authors and international comparisons mean that the literature is fragmented. Some research topics and some geographical areas within the public sector theme are over-analyzed, while others are under-investigated. Additionally, academic researchers should re-think their methodological approach if they wish to make significant contributions to the literature and work toward developing research which impacts practice in conjunction with practitioners.
Originality/value
The paper presents a comprehensive structured literature review of the articles published in KM journals. The paper’s findings can offer insights into future research needs.
Keywords
Citation
Massaro, M., Dumay, J. and Garlatti, A. (2015), "Public sector knowledge management: a structured literature review", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 530-558. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-11-2014-0466
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited