Bibliometric review of research on Knowledge Management and sustainability, 1994-2018

Abstract

© 2019 by the authors. Even though Knowledge Management (KM) is already widely used in business and public sector organisations, it also has potentially important implications when applied to the concept of sustainability. This research review aimed to examine the topography of research on KM and Sustainability. A total of 3025 articles from 1994 to 2018 were selected and analysed using bibliometric analysis to identify the growth trajectory of this literature, identify influential researchers and documents, explore the intellectual structure of the knowledge base and identify topical trends. The review found a knowledge of moderate but rapidly growing size. Key authors and documents were identified who can serve as guiding references for scholars entering this field of sustainability studies. Author co-citation analysis yielded a network map visualising the intellectual structure of this knowledge base which consisted of four Schools of Thought: Knowledge Management for Sustainability, Socio-Ecological System, Sustainability Science, KM for Sustainability Application. Keyword analysis highlighted climate change, learning, communities of practice and socio-economic management as topical trends emerging in the research front of this knowledge base. As the first bibliometric review of the KM and Sustainability literature, the findings from this paper establish a baseline for scholarship in this field which can be as a benchmark as the field continues to evolve in the future.