Abstract:
Competition in the business world has forced the organizations to build competitive advantage. In this context, resource based view of the firm has gained popularitywhere human capital and knowledge management (KM)is deemed important for building a competitive advantage. Oil & Gas automation industryis characterized by intense competition, whereby different international players compete with each other on the basis of their expertise and capabilities. This study investigates awareness and adoption ofKM within Oil & Gas automation sector corporations having some presence in Pakistan.Both end users and service providers with in the sectors are sought their opinion regarding adoption and awareness of the KM in the industry. Moreover, perceptual differences of the service providers and end users are also sought in the study pertaining to the awareness, importance and implementation of KM. The study further highlights the barriers to KM implementation and also establishes relationship between KM and organizational performance. The findings of the study highlight KM as a multi functional concept, which contributes towards efficiency and effectiveness of an oil & gas organization in many ways. Further, implementation of KM is also deemed to be a multi-faceted task, which requires behavioral, cultural, managerial and resource based support both from individuals within an organization and from organization as an institution. Finally, the study confirms a positive impact of KM on organizational performance within Oil & Gas automation sector.
