Evaluation of Knowledge Management Maturity at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and Solutions for its Improvement: A Cross-Sectional Mixed-Methods Study

This study aims to evaluate the Knowledge Management Maturity (KMM) and to provide solutions for its improvement at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) in Iran.

This quantitative-qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022. Two hundred and ten experts in knowledge management completed the standard evaluation tool to assess knowledge management maturity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten managers. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in Microsoft Excel 2013, while qualitative data were examined using framework analysis with MAXQDA 10.

Knowledge management maturity was assessed at Level 3 (Expansion) with a score of 135.2. Technology scored the highest (21.6), while leadership scored the lowest (18.44). To enhance knowledge management, solutions were identified across the dimensions of leadership (collaborative management, culture building, implementation of motivational systems, executive regulations, and guidelines), people (training and empowerment of managers and staff, merit-based selection), technology (quantitative and qualitative development of IT infrastructure), and process (identification, creation, storage, sharing, and use of knowledge).

The solutions proposed in this study can be utilized to structure the stages of maturity, planning, and policymaking in knowledge management.