ABSTRACT
Although many organizations are implementing knowledge management systems (KMS), there is little empirical evidence about the impacts of KMS use on performance, and what influences employees to use a KMS. This chapter describes the experiences of a multinational pharmaceutical firm that implemented a KMS to support its sales representatives. We first describe how the firm developed and implemented its KMS, including the failure of the first version of the system, and the transition to the ultimately successful second and third versions. We then examine the impact that this KMS has had on sales performance. Next, we investigate the factors that influenced the target users’ choice to use or not use it. We conclude with four lessons for other firms.
