Organizational knowledge management in the context of supply chain 4.0: A systematic literature review and conceptual model proposal

Abstract

Organizational Knowledge Management (OKM) has a great potential to contribute to companies and nations. The highest complexity of its application may be found in the scope of the Supply Chain (SC), due to being composed of numerous interrelated organizations, often with quite different characteristics. In addition, the current context of the fourth Industrial Revolution, also called Industry 4.0 (I4.0) that, when occurring within SC, gave birth to what has been called Supply Chain 4.0 (SC4.0), the context in which even more complex challenges to KM could be expected. Since scientific investigations at the intersection of these themes (KM and SC4.0) are still scarce, this research conducts a systematic literature review and a content analysis, both aiming to consolidate the related state-of-the-art of scientific development, capable of sustaining further advances in the field to tackle its new and challenging aspects. It complements and expands previous literature reviews in terms of its focus on SC4.0. In addition, it proposes, grounded in the results achieved, a conceptual model for KM in the context of SC4.0. It was identified that I4.0 brought important changes to the management of supply chains of the Industry 4.0 era and KM within it, although human factor – mainly behavior and relationships – remain a central aspect despite the increased adoption of a broad range of new technologies. Factors that enhance or limit KM in SC4.0 were also discussed and summarized, as well as the main relationships between them. In addition, gaps, limitations, and opportunities for future research are presented.