Knowledge management and innovation in the COVID-19 context : flowing from the organization toward the network level

Abstract

By scrutinizing two pivotal phenomena, that is knowledge management and innovation, this chapter places a special focus on the knowledge “flowing” process from the organization toward the network level and delves into the relevance of intellectual capital. Adjointly, emphasis is laid on the COVID-19 context, which has posed novel challenges for the understanding of all organizational and network facets. The discussion looks into the business environment developments lately, revealing that companies resort to the knowledge resources embedded in their networks, striving to capitalize on opportunities by reconfiguring dynamic knowledge capabilities and creating new knowledge. By relying on relational capital represented by networks, which facilitates the sharing of knowledge and the buildup of intellectual capital (Paoloni et al. Journal of Knowledge Management, 2022), organizations aim to overcome the uncertainties and challenges brought about by the global health crisis and its subsequent economic and social effects. Simultaneously, organizations harness digital technology capabilities to manage internal and external knowledge resources and sustain innovation in products and services but also management and business model innovation. To this end, they employ various knowledge management strategies to develop creative collaborations and partnerships with stakeholders and thus constantly accrue and replenish core knowledge resources through synergic business exchanges. Such knowledge flows nurture the development of innovative capabilities, growth, and performance.