1. ¹University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
2. ²SSPGE, RAK, United Arab Emirates

Correspondence: Behdja Boumarafi, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates. Tel: +971 6 558 5409; Fax: +971 6 558 5186; E-mail: bahdja@sharjah.ac.ae

Received 18 December 2006; Revised 18 December 2006; Accepted 16 May 2008.

Abstract

Knowledge management is gaining prominence in academia and the world of business practice. The need for organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to empower themselves through knowledge management cannot be ignored. Yet, not much empirical evidence on the subject can be found in the literature. This study investigates the relationship between knowledge management and organizational performance in the UAE. The knowledge management dimensions considered in this paper are organizational culture, organizational infrastructure, technical infrastructure, management support, reward and vision clarity. Organizational performance is measured in terms of efficiency, customer satisfaction, decision-making, quality of work and financial benefits. A questionnaire was used to collect data from general managers, functional managers, IT managers and chief knowledge officers from a variety of business sectors. Results of one sample t-test show that the dimensions used in this study enhance performance improvement. Results also show that except for reward and vision clarity, all investigated knowledge management dimensions are significantly correlated with performance improvement.