ISSN: XXXX-XXXX Volume X, Issue X, Month Year

Analytic Study about Knowledge Application in

Saudi Arabian for Ground Services

Ahmed Hassan El Zihebi

Asst. Prof, Dept of Computer Science and Engineering

King Abdulaziz Unversity

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Ahmedth@gmail.com

Abstract Knowledge is one of the most important elements of the

modern economy and the center of excellence, innovation

and competitiveness and who has the knowledge has the

power and the ability to lead. This study aims to determine

the extent to application knowledge management in Saudi

Ground Services, where the company is one of Saudi Airline

sections that turned to private company in order to ready for

the international competition. Its requires, focusing on

knowledge management and sharing and moving between

the employees to competition in the local and universal mar-

ket, particularly after opening the airspace for universal

flight companies to enter the Saudi market. Hence, there is a

need to evaluation the current situation for the company to

know the extent to knowledge management, which that it is

the competition base in the present time to set the necessary

programs and plans for the best application to knowledge

management.

Study uses the descriptive analytic method; the sample in-

cludes the company managers and officers in King Abdul

Aziz airport. Study found that knowledge management ap-

plication in the company more than the minimum and there

are proceedings, methods to documentation knowledge and

it’s sharing and it needs much of development, effectiveness,

application of the systems and procedures that ensure high

level of the application.

1- Introduction

Knowledge is the basic nerve for the present organizations,

it is the important resource in creation of the wealth and exe-

cution the difference and creative within the mental givens

that increased in its frame many of the intellectual concepts

as globalization, privatization, information revolution and

vast the different human communities distance. (1)

Management of that knowledge shows that knowledge is the

significant intangible assets that should be remained and

used and developed to create the value and increase the

competitive ability for the organizations, specifically with

opining the universal markets due to the massive develop-

ments in communications and information technique which

made the world as a small village.

General institution for Saudi Arabia air lines is one of Saudi

economic bases that turned to private company in order to

ready for the international competition. Its requires, focusing

on knowledge management and its sharing and moving be-

tween the employees to competition in the local and univer-

sal market, particularly after opening the airspace for univer-

sal flight companies to enter the Saudi market. Hence, there

is a need to evaluation the current situation for the company

to know the extent to knowledge management, which that it

is the competition base in the present time to set the neces-

sary programs and plans for the best application to

knowledge management.

Study depended on the descriptive analytic method that pro-

vides to the researcher quantity of the important information

about the research matter and the questionnaires were being

depended as an instrument to collect the data. The question-

naire includes four main aspects and each aspect is measured

by a number of questions that clear the extent of the compa-

ny applies this aspect. Study community involves general

managers, directors, supervisors, executive officers in King

Abdul Aziz airport at study prepare period in the first semes-

ter of 1434 – 1435 AH.

Study concluded that Saudi Arabian for ground services al-

ready partly applies knowledge management where study

declares that the application degree in the company is 3.6 out

5, the most aspects applied is aspect of information remain

and return and reaching to them, and the less aspect is the

clearly procedures and methods to participate the expertise

and useful lessons and reuse it and non-existing the suffi-

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cient knowledge and the fit training to determine the availa-

ble lessons and experiences.

Study recommended to raise knowledge management appli-

cation level in the company to increase its competitive abil-

ity and keep its significant assets also to improvement it in-

vestments including but not limited to create strategic plan to

knowledge management in order to concentrate on

knowledge as one of the important assets for the company

and spread the awareness with knowledge management and

its sharing, investments. Study also recommended claim the

help from the universal experience in knowledge manage-

ment scope to create information system and proceedings

aim to continue of knowledge management operations be-

ginning from produce knowledge to keep it and sharing,

finally to its investments and reuse it.

Study structure included review the literature reviews, the

problem, study methodology, its importance, and significant

of its outcomes and recommendations.

2- Literature reviews:

Study objected to know the relation between the organiza-

tional factors that are described in the organizational culture,

the organizational structure, technology, human resources,

political orientations, and between creation of knowledge

assets, sharing and move the knowledge. The two research-

ers were designed a questionary to collect the necessary in-

formation from the study community and ministry of busi-

ness development in Malaysia is chosen as a study case.

Two researchers are reached to many outcomes, provide of

knowledge assets (implicit and explicit) has a direct influ-

ence upon the performance and that there is a positive rela-

tionship between the level of availability of regulatory ele-

ments and the availability of knowledge assets and level of

knowledge transfer. Two researchers are recommended

about the need to the best utilization of technology, where it

plays a critical role in the development and sharing of

knowledge and the importance of changing the culture and

content organization to enable individuals to share what they

have about necessary knowledge to interest to other factors

as the organizational structure and human resources; public

sector organizations should not to neglect the political orien-

tations when applying knowledge management.

Study sought (3) to the statement of the influence the organ-

izational culture on the entrance and initiatives knowledge

management, researchers have used the study case method to

achieve the objectives of the study by case study of two uni-

versal companies, number of employees of each company

more than 300 thousand employees and has branches in most

regions of the world. The necessary information have been

collected from the community study through interviews

semi- structured with small groups of managers and profes-

sionals in the two companies. The researchers concluded that

the organizational culture affects on knowledge management

through their impact on organizational values for individuals

and their behaviors. Knowledge management can be a part

of the organizational culture and the during the process of

forming a knowledge management and organizational values

reflected in the organizations and researchers recommended

the need for a qualitative change in the culture of individuals

and their behavior before beginning application of

knowledge management. Management should influence on

the culture of individuals gradually in order to support the

trend towards the application of knowledge.

As study gone to know the trends of managers in centers of

the Jordan ministries toward application of knowledge man-

agement concept and impact that on their job performance

and test the differences in all directions depending on the

different demographic characteristics (4). Researcher has

used the descriptive analytical method and use of the instru-

ment questionery to collect the necessary information from

the community study that includes departments directors in

twenty-three Jordanian ministry (298) director. Study found

many of the results including the following: the adoption of

Jordan Ministries knowledge management concept moder-

ately and that the respondents feel a high level of functional-

ity as the study shows the commitment of the ministries in

Jordan dimensions of knowledge management which can be

arranged according to their relative importance as follows:

knowledge generation, storage knowledge, sharing of

knowledge, application of knowledge, technology

knowledge. The study concluded to many recommendations which are

mentioned as follows: create an organizations culture based

on the corporation between the operators, encourage to

knowledge mutual, voluntary participation in that culture in

order to reach to learned culture and improve the organiza-

tional climate for the work, to provide comfortable work

environment for the employees and give them sufficient au-

thorizations able them to application their information as

well as improvement and training the employees abilities

according to studied scientific programs aim to environment

their abilities and improvement their performance level

through adopting objective system for moral and material

incentives and prompting the employees about knowledge

creative and production.

The study (5) focused on knowledge management significant

and its role in achieving the standing competitive feature for

Syrian governmental banks sector and declares the relation

between knowledge management and the competitive fea-

ture for these banks. In order to achieve these objectives, the

female researcher uses a questionary tool to collect the nec-

essary information from the study community which repre-

sents six Syrian governmental banks from a random sample

consists of (54) mangers in the high administration of these

banks. The female researcher concluded to many results as

follows: there is a strong and moral relation between

knowledge management and the competitive feature lacking

of depending the banks on the helpful information for

knowledge management as experiences systems and support

group decisions systems, lacking of the presented services

from the Syrian government due to not adopting concepts of

the total quality management, lack of employment creative,

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skill, abilities employees and high experience. The study

concluded to many recommendations as follows: updating

knowledge management in every bank to participate with

information technology in achieving its competitive feature

through adopting information technology as: support group

decisions systems and experiences systems, introduce the

banking services through the dependence on internet, in-

crease the moral and material incentives for the employees

in order to increase their impulses to acquire knowledge and

using it to achieve the employees satisfy.

3- Study issues

Privatization of the governmental sectors and turn to private

companies process requires prepare these companies organi-

zational and managerial to increase that ability to a degree,

which through it, that institution can compete the private

sectors to achieve money, standing, development the pre-

sented services quality through adopting the latest manageri-

al methods, the ability to creation and create the added val-

ue. Knowledge management concept is one of the modern

concepts which the modern companies seek to adopting it to

increase its competitive ability. Usually, the first stage is

determine the current state and make an analysis studies

which define application level to create a scientific plans

depending on correct information.

That study defines, evaluates the current state to know the

extent of knowledge application and analysis the main di-

mensions and axes to application of knowledge management

in Saudi company for ground services through answering the

main study question “what is the extent of application of

knowledge management in Saudi company for ground ser-

vices? And what is the extent of the application in several

main axes: the organizational culture axis, knowledge regis-

tration axis, knowledge remain and retrieval axis and pro-

cesses and proceedings axis.

4- Study methodology That study is an application study aims to knowing to what

extent Saudi company for ground services applies

knowledge management. Researchers used the analysis de-

scriptive method in preparing of the application part of that

study, because of that part considers from the application

aspect is a common factor between all methods. The analysis

descriptive method provides significant information quantity

for the researcher in respect of the state.

Study community includes common managers, directors,

supervisors, executive officers in Saudi company for ground

services officers in King Abdul Aziz airport at study prepare

period in the first semester of 1434 – 1435 AH, where the

total number of the study community is (50) officer. Re-

searcher depends on questionary method as main tool to

collect data and structures in order to know the research

sample’s opinion and directions, where the questionary tool

is one of the significant tools to collect data in the field

study. That returns to ability of the researcher to control in

questions and the desired collect information from the re-

search community. Questionary is designed to axes as fol-

lows:

Knowledge management culture, includes (4) axes regarding

the prevalent culture dimensions for knowledge management

in ground services company management and its impact on

knowledge participation and distributed on the following

axes:

First axis: includes (5) phrases about the culture dimension

(knowledge management culture)

Second axis: includes (7) phrases about certifying dimension

(knowledge management certifying)

Third axis: includes (8) phrases about remain and retrieval

dimension (store and retrieval of knowledge certifying)

Fourth axis: includes (5) phrases about proceedings dimen-

sion (knowledge management procedures)

Researcher cares of the simplicity and facility in formation

of the questionary phrases as possible in order to be under-

standable for all researchers. He also cares of that the

phrases formation are being comply with quinary Likert

scale. Likert scale is a method to measure the used behaviors

and preferences in the psychological tests, which the psy-

chologist “Rensis Likert” that is used in questionnaires, par-

ticularly in statistical field. This measure is based on an-

swers indicate to whether accept or objection degree about a

formation. Researcher also used several statistical methods

through using (SPSS) to present a statistical analysis of all

results and diagrams.

5- Study results

Hence, we will review the study results; firstly, review the

answers results about the main question: To what extent

knowledge management is applied in ground services man-

agement in King Abdul Aziz international airport in Jeddah?

The following table declares the study results:

Table 1: Knowledge management application in Saudi

company for ground services

Axis Probable average

Knowledge management appli-

cation in Saudi company for

ground services

3.6

We found that the arithmetic mean is (3.6), (i.e. the degree

of knowledge management application in ground services

management in King Abdul Aziz international airport in

Jeddah in 72 %).

It is means that knowledge management application in the

company higher than the average, and there are proceedings

and methods to certifying knowledge and its participation.

Knowledge management application in the company needs

more of development, activation and application the systems

and procedures that insure a high level of application.

Through a deeply sight on dimensions and axes knowledge

application and through the study results, study concluded to

the following results as follows:

International Journal of Innovatory research in Engineering and Technology - IJIRET

ISSN: XXXX-XXXX Volume X, Issue X, Month Year 28

Table 2: Axes of knowledge management application

degree measure in the company

Study dimensions The proba-ble arithme-tic mean

Arrangement as per the application

Culture dimension (knowledge manage-ment culture)

3.66 2

Certifying dimension

(knowledge manage-

ment certifying)

3.58 3

Remain and retrieval

dimension (store and

retrieval of knowledge

certifying)

3.76 1

Proceedings dimension

(knowledge manage-

ment procedures)

3.40 4

We are finding from the previous table that the most aspects

applied with 75 % is remain and retrieval dimension, it re-

turns to application the company for international standards

and specification as ISO 9001 and ISAGO.

Culture dimension comes in the second degree of more di-

mension applied with 73 %, it reflects differentiate the cul-

ture awareness with reasonable degree about knowledge

management and its application.

Knowledge certifying comes with 71 %, while proceedings

and methods dimension considers the less application with

68 % due to non-existing of any proceedings but perhaps

non-application of knowledge management processes and

lack of providing the electronic systems.

6- Conclusion, recommendations and future works

With reference to results of that study and to increase

knowledge management application level in the company for

the desired level, researcher concluded to the significant

following recommendations:

- High management shall support and commit knowledge

management and provide all methods and means to success

the application.

- Setting a strategy adopting knowledge management and

watch knowledge as one of the important assets of the com-

pany and deals with knowledge as one of the significant fac-

tors to achieve a competitive feature.

- Replan and study development exchange methods and pro-

ceeding, participation and certifying knowledge in accord-

ance with the management ambitious and its future plan.

- Using the available abilities and materials in Saudi compa-

ny for ground services in creation strong and effective

knowledge management systems to protect and provide

knowledge to planning the materials and prepare the plans

and future studies.

- Prepare the managerial and technical staffs and training

them to achieve application success as these programs.

- Prepare the processes engineering and activities and target-

ed programs insuring its success.

- Work graduation in knowledge management is necessary

and achieves better results, in particular in the initial aspects

where showing the whole project from the beginning may

lead to that the employees may feel that the matter is com-

plicated and hard. Subsequently, reject the idea and unwill-

ingness to participate in it.

- Focusing on awareness spread stage, giving it a sufficient

time and variety in the used methods in order to gain more

of support that is based on the understanding and realization.

- Participate big number of the officers and operators in

knowledge management and doesn’t confine on limited team

conducts the task where the others feel that they have not

any important but the matter confines only on the deter-

mined team. Success of knowledge management bases on

group participation in knowledge management processes.

- Check the electronic preparation to application knowledge

management processes where the electronic preparation is a

main feature to achieve knowledge management.

- Development the incentives and rewards systems in order

to encourage the officers to participate in knowledge and

contribute in creation an organizational culture encourages

to deliberation and participation knowledge.

- It is necessary to build or rent information network or par-

ticipation in an international information networks to ex-

change the international experiences and scientific

knowledge in respect of the international aviation compa-

nies, particularly in ground services companies that work in

airports.

- Training programs with a special significant in knowledge

management processes, it is necessary to aware of these pro-

grams according to the internal and external training grade

where that training assures on the matter significant, declare

the best practices in that field and allows all employees to

participate in knowledge management processes.

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ISSN: XXXX-XXXX Volume X, Issue X, Month Year 29

7- References

1 Kh. Hamod, knowledge organization, Jordan: Dar Saf’a For Publishing, Distribution, 2010

[2] S. ,. F. Syed-Ikhsan, "knowledge management in a Public Organization: A Study on The Relationship Between Organizational Elements and The Performance of Knowledge Transfer," Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 95-111, 2004.

[3] D. e. a. Leidner, "The Role of Culture in Knowledge Management: A Case Study of Two Global Firms," International Journal of e-Collaboration, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 17-40, 2006.

4 A. Ayman, “Managers Directions In Jordan Ministries Centers For Knowledge Management Role In The Job Performance”, Jordan journal in business administration, volume 5, 2009.

5 W. Dacy, “Role of knowledge management in achieving a competitive feature, application study in Syrian governmental banks”, Researcher journal, no. 11, 2012.