Enablers of and barriers to knowledge management in medium-sized professional service firms

The literature on enablers of and barriers to knowledge management (KM) adopts a black-or-white approach, as a factor is an enabler of or a barrier to KM, generates its effects in a specific stage of the KM process only, and operates separately from other factors. Researchers advise firms that leveraging enablers and limiting barriers is the best strategy for designing effective KM systems. We challenge this advice and the black-or-white approach by presenting a case study about a medium-sized professional service firm. We demonstrate that some factors have a dual nature and influence different stages of the KM process, as they push the generation of new knowledge but hinder its sharing. Hence, firms eliminating barriers to KM sharing also risk removing enablers of it. Moreover, we show that new knowledge arises not to support a company’s performance but to defend employees’ organisational position, questioning the rationale behind designing KM systems.