Impact and Efficiency of Knowledge Management and Enterprise Social Networking Systems: A Data-Driven Analysis

This study examines the impact and effectiveness of knowledge management systems (KMS) and enterprise social networking systems (ESNS) within a professional services firm. As firms increasingly rely on digital tools for knowledge sharing and collaboration, understanding how these systems work across different employee groups is critical to optimizing organizational effectiveness and knowledge distribution.

The gap in the literature that makes this study important arises from the fact that, while previous studies have examined the general benefits of ESNS, their specific impact on knowledge-intensive multinational organizations has not been adequately explored. This study fills this gap by focusing on how KMS and ESNS are perceived by employees at different career levels and how these perceptions impact knowledge sharing within the organization.

The methodology used in this study covers a data-driven analysis via a structured online questionnaire collecting data from 66 employees of a multinational professional services company. The questionnaire included Likert scales, multiple-choice questions, and a numerical rating scale. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS to assess correlations, mean comparisons, and descriptive trends in the use of KMS and ESNS.

The findings show that satisfaction with KMS and ESNS varies significantly by tenure. MS Teams was considered the most functional system, while MS SharePoint was viewed as the most problematic. New employees had difficulty integrating knowledge, while long-term employees expressed dissatisfaction with the effectiveness and efficiency of the systems. These findings suggest that KMS improvements and tailored onboarding strategies could improve knowledge sharing within the organization across regions.