Success Factors in Knowledge Management

This IISD Knowledge Communications Practice Note outlines eight success factors for strengthening knowledge management (KM) practices within organizations, drawing on examples from development agencies and research institutes. It emphasizes that KM is most effective when tied to operational needs, implemented at the level of project impact, and supported by a combination of internal and external communication strategies rather than a single overarching corporate strategy.

• Successful implementation of knowledge management (KM) is strongly linked to having a clear, shared rationale for the initiative. Organizations like the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) saw success because their motivations were clear, whereas a lack of shared understanding led to less successful outcomes.
• KM practices must be integrated into an organization's strategic plan and day-to-day operations to avoid a disconnect between sharing initiatives and actual work. The UNDP is cited as a successful example of reorienting its business to provide effective development advice through mechanisms like the Sub-regional Resource Facility (SURF) and Global Practice Areas.
• Knowledge-sharing is most effective when implemented at the level of project or activity rather than through top-down corporate systems. While development agencies often start with high-level strategies, research and membership organizations like REC, APC, and TERI often focus on operational efficiencies and capturing explicit knowledge for internal use and external influence.
• Effective KM requires a dual focus on internal and external components. Internal KM focuses on managing communications and archiving knowledge products through tools like communities of practice, while external KM focuses on flowing knowledge to target users and monitoring the impact of insights on decision-makers.
• Rather than a single overarching strategy, organizations benefit from deploying a combination of related but independent strategies: internal communications, influencing (bridging research and action), broader communications for awareness, and administrative infrastructure (IT and human resources).
• KM requires defined roles across different management levels and specific personality types to succeed. This includes senior and mid-management champions, as well as 'mavens' (research experts), 'connectors' (those linked to decision-makers), and 'salespeople' (those who craft messages).
• Experimentation and rapid piloting are often more effective than large-scale initial planning. Examples include CIDA's internal network pilots and UNDP's use of SURFs in country offices. The document encourages experimenting with new technologies such as blogs, Wikis, and participation-ranking algorithms.
• Long-term sustainability is a major challenge for knowledge portals and networks. Success requires planning for continuous maintenance, system upgrades, and user testing to prevent systems from becoming obsolete as user interactions and technologies evolve.

APA

Creech, H. (2005). Success Factors in Knowledge Management. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/networks_km_success.pdf

Chicago

Creech, Heather. Success Factors in Knowledge Management. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2005. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/networks_km_success.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Creech |first1=Heather |title=Success Factors in Knowledge Management |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2005 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/networks_km_success.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{creech2005success, author = {Creech, Heather}, title = {{Success Factors in Knowledge Management}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2005}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/networks_km_success.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }