The influence of knowledge management “bottleneck” on company’s performance

Interviews with 10 marketing managers of 10 four-wheeled motor vehicle brand in Jakarta that have the highest sales in January up to April 2017 show that the managers do not have enough cognitive understanding of knowledge management (KM). However, the managers, in general, are very eloquent when discussing about practical business aspects such as supply-chain, business competition, products, organizational culture, and company’s performance. Based on previous research, KM was placed as independent or intervening or moderating variable on company’s performance. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of KM on company’s performance. By using stratified random sampling, linear regression, moderated regression, and path analysis, it can be concluded that KM can be as independent, moderating, or intervening variable. KM becomes similar to a “bottleneck” when the managers do not know well what and how to implement KM. Therefore, this study suggests that needed further researches are needed to explore the role of KM and to understand how KM can be implemented in a company in order to sustainably improve the company’s performance.