An investigation of the determinants of knowledge management systems success in omani organizations

The need to understand the determinants of a successful knowledge management system (KMS) deployment cannot be underestimated in Arabian organizations specifically those in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Reports from the World Bank emphasize the power of knowledge and the need for these nations and their organizations to empower themselves through knowledge management. Yet, very little empirical research has been conducted to understand this phenomenon. This study investigates the effects of knowledge-culture, organizational infrastructure, technical infrastructure, management support, vision clarity, reward policy and economic return on KMS success in Omani organizations. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews with IT managers. Results show that all investigated factors contribute to KMS success except for reward policy. Interviews reveal that other factors such as training and matching users ’ needs are also critical. Results suggest that KMS success factors in Oman are relatively like those in western countries, and other developing countries. However, because they operate in developing countries, IT managers in Oman consider that reward-policy is not a feasible policy to promote KMS use.