Knowledge management and organizational performance: The mediating role of innovation and motivation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17509/curricula.v5i3.709Keywords:
innovation, knowledge management, motivation, organizational performanceAbstract
Education in Indonesia faces significant challenges in improving organizational performance, as reflected in the 2023 PISA results showing that Indonesian students scored below international averages in literacy, mathematics, and science. Effective knowledge management is therefore a strategic solution. This study aims to examine the effect of knowledge management on organizational performance mediated by innovation and motivation. This study employed a cross-sectional quantitative design conducted in public elementary schools in Kalasan District, Yogyakarta. A total of 82 respondents were selected from schools with a minimum of two classes. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to principals, teachers, and educational staff, and analyzed using PLS-SEM. Instrument validity and reliability were assessed using Average Variance Extracted and Cronbach's Alpha. Results indicate that knowledge management significantly and positively affects organizational performance, innovation, and motivation. Innovation positively influences organizational performance and successfully mediates the relationship between knowledge management and organizational performance. Conversely, motivation neither affects organizational performance nor mediates that relationship. Elementary schools should develop knowledge management systems that foster instructional innovation as a core strategy for improving educational quality.
References
Adiguzel, Z., & Sonmez Cakir, F. (2022). Examining the effects of strategic orientation and motivation on performance and innovation in the production sector of automobile spare parts. European Journal of Management Studies, 27(2), 131-153.
Afsar, B., & Umrani, W. A. (2019). Transformational leadership and innovative work behavior: The role of motivation to learn, task complexity, and innovation climate. European Journal of Innovation Management, 23(3), 402-428.
Azzahrawaani, Z., & Ikrimah, A. L. M. (2024). Implementation of knowledge management tools in libraries: a systematic literature review. Indonesian Journal of Librarianship, 5(2), 111-124.
Berraies, S., Hamza, K. A., & Chtioui, R. (2021). Distributed leadership and exploratory and exploitative innovations: Mediating roles of tacit and explicit knowledge sharing and organizational trust. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(5), 1287-1318.
Borghini, S. (2005). Organizational creativity: Breaking equilibrium and order to innovate. Journal of Knowledge Management, 9(4), 19-33.
Cuthbertson, R. W., & Furseth, P. I. (2022). Digital services and competitive advantage: Strengthening the links between RBV, KBV, and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 152, 168-176.
Damanpour, F. (1991). Organizational innovation: A meta-analysis of effects of determinants and moderators. Academy of Management Journal, 34(3), 555-590.
Demir, A., Kiziloglu, M., Budur, T., & Heshmati, A. (2022). Elaborating on the links between declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and employee performance. SN Business and Economics, 3(1), 1-30.
Dewi, I. S., Aslamiah, A., & Metroyadi, M. (2025). The influence of instructional leadership, work climate, and work motivation on teachers’ performance. Curricula: Journal of Curriculum Development, 4(2), 1471-1486.
Fatmaningrum, U., & Jazuli, A. (2025). Augmented reality mathematics media for enhancing critical thinking and motivation in elementary students. Curricula: Journal of Curriculum Development, 4(1), 765-780.
Gholami, M. H., Asli, M. N., Nazari-Shirkouhi, S., & Noruzy, A. (2013). Investigating the influence of knowledge management practices on organizational performance: An empirical study. Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, 10(2), 205-216.
Hadi, M. N., & Yusuf, W. F. (2022). Inovasi pendidikan agama Islam. Jurnal Mu’allim, 4(1), 53-66.
Haliza, S., & Handayani, T. (2026). Impact of the creative economy on students' motivation to learn. Curricula: Journal of Curriculum Development, 5(1), 437-450.
Islamy, F. J.,Andriani, R., & Nurjaman, R. (2021). Knowledge based view: Pengaruh knowledge management terhadap kinerja perguruan tinggi pada masa pandemi COVID-19. Jurnal Idaarah, 5(2), 188-203.
Jiang, S., Wang, J., Zhang, R., & Liu, O. (2023). Innovation climate for individual motivation and innovation performance: Is innovative behavior a missing link?. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 8(4), 1-10.
Kraus, P., Stokes, P., Tarba, S. Y., Rodgers, P., Dekel-Dachs, O., Britzelmaier, B., & Moore, N. (2022). The ambidextrous interaction of RBV-KBV and regional social capital and their impact on SME management. Journal of Business Research, 142(1), 762-774.
Maulana, R., Murniningsih, R., & Prasetya, W. A. (2022). The influence of financial literacy, financial inclusion, and fintech toward business sustainability in SMES. Procuratic: Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen, 10(4), 440-452.
Meher, J. R., & Mishra, R. K. (2022). Evaluation of perceived benefits and employee satisfaction through knowledge management practices. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, 71(1/2), 86-102.
Nguyen, N. T. (2023). Knowledge management in higher education in Vietnam: Insights from higher education leaders—an exploratory study. Journal of Information & Knowledge Management, 22(3), 1-19.
Qalati, S. A., Zafar, Z., Fan, M., Sánchez Limón, M. L., & Khaskheli, M. B. (2022). Employee performance under transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior: A mediated model. Heliyon, 8(11), 1-10.
Rangkuti, N. A., & Nurmiati, E. (2022). Analisis penerapan knowledge management system (KMS) pada PT. Humala Giat Mandiri. Jurnal Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi, 13(1), 29-32.
Rehman, U. U., & Iqbal, A. (2020). Nexus of knowledge-oriented leadership, knowledge management, innovation and organizational performance in higher education. Business Process Management Journal, 26(6), 1731-1758.
Sahibzada, U. F., Jianfeng, C., Latif, K. F., Shah, S. A., & Sahibzada, H. F. (2023). Refuelling knowledge management processes towards organisational performance: Mediating role of creative organisational learning. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 21(1), 1-13.
Sinaga, S. P., Maulina, E., Tresna, P. W., Sukoco, I., Purnomo, M., & Kostini, N. (2020). Knowledge management and employee performance: A systematic literature review. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 101(5), 150-159.
Stefan, S. C., Popa, Ș. C., & Dobrin, C. O. (2024). The influence of knowledge management on innovation and organizational performance. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 10(1), 1-18.
Stumbrienė, D., Jevsikova, T., & Kontvainė, V. (2024). Key factors influencing teachers’ motivation to transfer technology-enabled educational innovation. Education and Information Technologies, 29(2), 1697-1731.
Sudibjo, N., Aulia, S., & Harsanti, H. R. (2022). Empowering personal knowledge management among teachers in Indonesia: A multi-faceted approach using SEM. Sage Open, 12(1).
Yudhoyono, A. Y., Sukoco, B. M., & Maharani, I. A. K. (2025). Bridging the gap: Indonesia’s research trajectory and national development through a scientometric analysis using SciVal. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 11(1), 1-19.
Zhang, J., Zia, U., Shehzad, M. U., & Sherani, N. (2024). Tacit knowledge management process, product innovation and organizational performance: Exploring the role of affective trust and task efficiency. Business Process Management Journal, Ahead-of-Print, 31(1), 267-297.
Zia, U., Zhang, J., & Alam, S. (2024). Role of tacit knowledge management process and innovation capability for stimulating organizational performance: Empirical analysis, PLS-SEM approach. Kybernetes, 53(1), 1-24.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Zelsa Yorinda Kurniawati, Cepi Safruddin Abdul Jabar

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

