The Moderating Role of Training in the Relationship between Knowledge Management and Innovation

Abstract

This study yields a deeper understanding of the relationship between knowledge management and innovation in organizations along with insights into the importance of training. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between knowledge management and innovation as moderated by the construct of training. While the constructs of knowledge acquisition, application, and protection, and behavior and strategic innovation are the cornerstones of this study, the Resource-Based View Theory is the theoretical framework. An online questionnaire was leveraged to gather data from respondents, In Lebanon and the Middle East region, for data collection purposes. The present research uses SPSS statistical software to investigate the relationship between the different constructs. Results indicated that knowledge acquisition, knowledge application and knowledge protection are significantly and positively related to the two dimensions of innovation: behavior innovation and strategic innovation. Also, results indicated a moderating effect of training in the relationship between knowledge acquisition and behavior innovation, and in the relationship between knowledge application and behavior innovation. Specifically, as levels of training increase, the effect of knowledge acquisition and knowledge application on behavior innovation decreases. On the other hand, this study indicated that training had no significant moderating effect in the relationship between knowledge protection and behavior innovation. Moreover, training has no significant moderating effect in the relationship between the three constructs of KM under study and strategic innovation. Overall, the study recommends that organizations who want to foster innovation should give considerable attention to their knowledge management processes of acquisition, application, and protection, even in the presence of training.