Exploring Knowledge Management in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

In the present era knowledge has become the key competence for organizations and countries. There is a global tendency to foster innovation and entrepreneurship through creating business incubating ecosystems. In the context of developing countries this however, is a challenging phenomenon. This study focuses on exploring knowledge management in technology business incubators using qualitative techniques. For data collection, business incubation centers located in the different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were selected using a purposive approach to find out the phenomenon in a developing country’s context. Data was collected through interviews from the management and users of these incubation centers adopting a narrative methodology. The data obtained was analyzed using coding and theme building. The study finds that human knowledge and experience plays an important role in startup formation. The findings further propose that the knowledge utilized enhances startups’ productivity. The findings suggest that industry and academia are weakly associated, and measures are needed to make a well-developed ecosystem. Since the business incubator ecosystem is still a developing concept in the country, therefore, data collection was challenging. The study suggests longitudinal and cross-sectional case studies, for future studies, under normal conditions could better investigate the process. The study contributes to the fourth stage of the intellectual capital body of knowledge which stresses exploring the role of knowledge management practices in various ecosystems. As business incubators is a recent phenomenon within the socio-cultural context of Pakistan, therefore this study adds to contextual and theoretical perspectives of this evolving conceptualization. Further, this study will help the management to improve the Technology Business Incubator ecosystem. It will help to train the startups in a more deliberate way, the market will expand, and the idea of entrepreneurship will flourish in society.