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¹American University, CAP Department Washington, District of Columbia, USA

²Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Kardeljeva pload, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Correspondence to: Vincent M. Ribière, CAP Department McKinley, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016, U.S.A. Tel: +1 202 885 1488; Fax: +1 202 885 1479; E-mail: ribiere@american.edu

This paper addresses the critical role leadership plays in the implementation and facilitation of knowledge management activities. Leadership is particularly important for organizations willing to 'evolve' their culture to a knowledge-supporting culture. Organizational culture has been identified as the main impediment to knowledge activities, and therefore leaders should model the proper behaviors causing culture to evolve in a way that enables and motivates knowledge workers to create, codify, transfer, and use and leverage knowledge. In the literature this leadership behavior is referred to as 'leading through a knowledge lens'. Leading through a knowledge lens has some special characteristics since it is dealing with knowledge workers having specialized expertise. Leading them can be done only by intellectual power, conviction, persuasion, and interactive dialog. It requires skills that build confidence and engagement. Therefore, leaders should establish trust and commitment that will help the knowledge organization to achieve its knowledge and business goals.

Knowledge Management Research & Practice (2003) 1, 39-48. doi:10.1057/palgrave.kmrp.8500004

knowledge management; organizational culture; leadership; organizational learning; knowledge worker