Resumen
Barriers to Knowledge Management (KM) are impediments that affect benefits of sharing knowledge in a knowledge economy. Governmental and non-governmental organizations in many countries face challenges of KM as they seek to improve the utilization of knowledge in production and in service delivery within their national systems of laws, plans, and policies. In this regard, obstacles to successful implementation of KM programs vary between countries. Factors such as technology, telecommunications infrastructure, research and development standing, science and technology procedures and plans, education and culture each play a key role in moving a country towards a knowledge society. This research is designed to identify the factors affecting KM in Saudi Arabia. I used the Delphi method with 14 Saudi KM experts to identify major barriers to KM. The barriers were classified and ranked based on the four-pillar model developed by Stankosky (2005) that includes major categories of learning, leadership, technology, and organization. The research and analysis led to the identification of 97 barriers: 19 organization barriers, 24 technology barriers, 32 leadership barriers, and 22 learning barriers. The barriers were ranked using nonparametric statistical tests and stochastic dominance. This study provides a foundation for research for barriers to KM in Saudi Arabia and the GCC region.Keywords: Knowledge management, Saudi Arabia, Delphi method, barriers to knowledge management