Strategic Analysis of Competitive Advantage of Private Companies in the Transition to a Knowledge-Based Economy with a Focus on Knowledge Management Mechanisms: Using the Meta-Synthesis Method

Darvishzadeh Kakhki, Mahsa; Arshadi, Vahid

doi:10.47176/SMOK.2025.1956

Strategic Analysis of Competitive Advantage of Private Companies in the Transition to a Knowledge-Based Economy with a Focus on Knowledge Management Mechanisms: Using the Meta-Synthesis Method

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

¹ Department of Management, Faculty of Management and Administrative Sciences, Imam Reza International University, Mashhad, Iran

² Islamic Economics Research Group, Institute of Islamic Studies in the Humanities, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran Islamic Economics Research Group, Institute of Islamic Studies in the Humanities, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran

10.47176/SMOK.2025.1956

Abstract

Purpose: In the contemporary knowledge-based economy, private companies in developing nations, particularly Iran, face profound challenges in leveraging intellectual resources to secure sustainable competitive advantages. Traditional factors of production, such as labor, land, and physical capital, have yielded intangible assets such as organizational knowledge, innovation capabilities, and adaptive learning. This shift demands that firms reconfigure their strategies to prioritize knowledge synergy; however, many private enterprises grapple with resource limitations, inadequate infrastructure, and misalignment between knowledge initiatives and business goals. These barriers not only stifle innovation but also erode resilience in the face of environmental volatility and technological disruptions.
This study investigates how knowledge management mechanisms enable private companies to cultivate and maintain competitive advantages during the transition to a knowledge-based economy. Researchers have focused on the structural, cultural, and strategic enablers that foster knowledge integration within resource-constrained settings. By addressing the core problem of underdeveloped knowledge infrastructures, this study illuminates pathways for overcoming systemic constraints, such as limited access to advanced technologies and skilled talent. It posits that effective knowledge management serves as a pivotal strategic lever, transforming intellectual assets into drivers of long-term value creation and organizational agility.
This study addresses critical gaps in the literature, where prior studies often overlook the unique challenges faced by private firms in sanctioned environments such as Iran. Through targeted exploration, this study answers the following key question: Which knowledge management processes significantly enhance competitive advantages? How do synergy mechanisms operate under resource scarcity conditions? What structural and cultural factors underpin successful knowledge management? How do policy frameworks bolster innovation capacities? Ultimately, this study empowers private enterprises to harness knowledge as a cornerstone of strategic differentiation, fostering economic transformation at both the firm and national levels.
Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a qualitative, exploratory approach to uncover latent patterns and relationships in the existing literature, employing the meta-synthesis method as the core framework. This methodology draws on Sandelowski and Barroso's (2007) seven-step model, which facilitates the structured integration of diverse qualitative findings into cohesive themes. The process begins with formulating research questions, followed by systematic literature reviews, source selection, data extraction, synthesis, quality control and presentation of results.
Data collection targeted secondary library sources, including Persian and English scientific articles, policy reports, and industry analyses. For Persian sources, the temporal scope spanned 1390–1404 (solar calendar, approximately 2011–2025 Gregorian), capturing long-term domestic trends in knowledge-based development in Iran. English sources covered 2021–2025, emphasizing recent global advancements in knowledge management and digital transformation. The inclusion criteria prioritized topical relevance (knowledge management and competitive advantage in private firms), scientific rigor (peer-reviewed publications in reputable journals), and temporal alignment. The exclusion criteria eliminated irrelevant, low-quality, or out-of-scope materials.
The research population comprised 243 primary sources, from which purposive and systematic sampling yielded 65 high-quality samples for analysis. Analysts conducted a thematic analysis through three-stage coding: open coding extracted 410 conceptual codes from the texts, axial coding grouped these into 23 subthemes, and selective coding synthesized them into four main themes. Validation measures included expert panel reviews for content validity, source triangulation for comprehensiveness, and inter-coder agreement (85% reliability coefficient). All coding and analysis were performed manually, without software, to preserve interpretive depth and ensure methodological transparency.
This design aligns with the exploratory goal of generating a localized framework tailored to Iranian private firms, integrating interdisciplinary insights from economics, strategy and technology. By synthesizing fragmented literature, the approach not only identifies emergent patterns but also constructs a robust analytical model for knowledge-driven competitiveness
Finding: The meta-synthesis revealed that knowledge sharing emerged as the most salient subtheme, accounting for 15% of the conceptual codes and playing a central role in bolstering organizational resilience. Analysts identified four overarching themes: processes of organizational knowledge management, mechanisms for competitive advantage, structural and cultural enablers in the knowledge-based economy, and strategic and policy frameworks.
Under knowledge management processes, subthemes such as knowledge creation, sharing, application, and preservation dominated, with the SECI model (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995) being highlighted as a key mechanism for converting tacit to explicit knowledge. These processes enhance innovation and adaptability, particularly in volatile market conditions. Dynamic capabilities, green innovation, and strategic flexibility stood out as competitive advantage mechanisms, enabling firms to respond to environmental changes and differentiate their products. Structural and cultural enablers encompass human capital development, organizational redesign for knowledge flow, and cultural values promoting trust and collaboration, which collectively mitigate resource constraints.
Strategic and policy frameworks emphasize performance evaluation indices, supportive policies for knowledge-based firms, and alignment between national goals and firm strategies. These findings align with global benchmarks, such as the OECD countries' 2.7% GDP allocation to R&D in 2023 and Iran's growth in knowledge-based firms from 5,000 to over 10,115 units between 2019 and 2024. The radar chart visualization of themes underscores the prominence of knowledge sharing, with evaluation performance (frequency 33) as a cross-cutting driver.
Overall, this study demonstrates that integrating knowledge management processes fosters sustainable competitive advantages, even under sanctions, by amplifying innovation and resilience. These insights validate the strategic imperative of investing in knowledge infrastructure for private firms navigating economic transitions.
Research limitations/implications: The primary limitation of this study stems from restricted access to proprietary data from private companies, driven by confidentiality, competitive, and security concerns. This barrier hinders in-depth operational analyses, rendering some knowledge management dimensions less observable in real-world contexts. Additionally, the absence of standardized performance indicators for knowledge initiatives in private enterprises compromises comparative validity and generalizability. Economic sanctions and technological restrictions have further exacerbized these challenges, limiting firms' adoption of advanced tools and impeding digital transformation pathways. The rapid evolution of technology and policy landscapes has also introduced volatility, necessitating ongoing revisions to maintain relevance.
Despite these constraints, the findings have significant implications for theory and practice. Theoretically, this study advances the knowledge management literature by proposing a context-specific model for resource-constrained environments, bridging gaps in interdisciplinary integration. Practically, it guides private firms to prioritize knowledge sharing and SECI processes for resilience building, while policymakers can leverage insights to craft supportive frameworks, such as incentives for R&D and human capital development.
Future research should pursue comparative studies between the public and private sectors to uncover scalable models, longitudinal evaluations of the impact of knowledge management on sustained advantages, and cross-cultural analyses to contextualize theories. The integration of emerging technologies, such as AI, blockchain, and big data, into knowledge systems warrants exploration, as it has the potential to accelerate digital capabilities and innovation. These directions promise empirically grounded strategies that are resilient to market fluctuations.
Originality/value: This research pioneers a localized meta-synthesis framework customized for Iranian private firms, diverging from conventional quantitative paradigms to offer a nuanced and interdisciplinary analytical model. By synthesizing economic, strategic, and technological perspectives, it challenges fragmented methodologies and introduces novel explorations of advanced technologies—such as AI and quantum computing—in knowledge practices under sanction-impacted conditions. This approach, which is largely underexplored in the domestic literature, opens new avenues for holistic, context-sensitive organizational research and knowledge-based policy discourse.
This study’s value lies in its actionable insights for enhancing competitiveness amid resource scarcity, providing a blueprint for firms to align knowledge initiatives with strategic objectives. By addressing overlooked dimensions such as cultural enablers and policy synergies, this study contributes to global knowledge managemenat theory while fostering Iran's transition to a resilient, innovation-driven economy.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

Knowledge sharing is the core KM process driving resilience and competitiveness in private firms.
SECI-based knowledge processes enable innovation and adaptability under resource scarcity.
Cultural trust and structural redesign mitigate KM barriers in sanctioned environments.
Policy alignment and evaluation systems strengthen knowledge-based competitive advantage.
Meta-synthesis offers a localized KM framework for Iranian private firms.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Knowledge Management

License

Published by Imam Hossein University. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

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