Benchmarking knowledge management practices and digital empowerment for business excellence in Asia

In the digital economy, knowledge management (KM) systems are critical enablers of innovation, compliance, resilience, and organisational learning. Drawing on four cross-sector case studies, water infrastructure, printed circuit board manufacturing, healthcare, and digital technology services, this study examines diverse organisations from public, private, international, and digital contexts to explore the distinctive characteristics of KM practices within developed Asian context. This study systematically evaluates benchmarking cases of KM practices against their planned objectives across system design,implementation, performance, and continuous improvement from the perspective of sustainable system development (SSD). The analysis identifies four socio-technical mechanisms underpinning successful KM implementation: (1) codifying tacit knowledge into explicit routines, (2) enabling collaboration and visibility through digital platforms, (3) embedding KM into audits and regulatory standards, and (4) reinforcing adoption through leadership and culture. Theoretically, the study advances understanding of KM and digital empowerment as a capability bundle and clarifies scope conditions for developed Asia and extends socio-technical maturity models based on govern ance. Practically, it highlights the need for audit-ready design, visibility tools, codification of failures and successes, structured governance, and phased investments in less mature contexts. Overall, this study shows that KM systems, when coupled with digital empowerment and human capital, enable organisations to sustain competitive advantage in technology- intensive environments.