IInvestigating the Relationship between Knowledge Management Practices and Innovation in the Organization, Considering the Mediating Variable of Knowledge Application (Case Study: Mahshahr Petrochemical Company)

In the age of knowledge, innovation has become one of the most important competitive advantages of leading organizations. Therefore, these organizations try to develop their innovative performance to maintain their competitive position. One of the effective methods in this field is the successful implementation of knowledge management and application of knowledge in the organization. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between knowledge management methods and innovation in the organization, considering the mediating variable of knowledge application in Mahshahr Petrochemical Company.

This research is descriptive-survey in terms of method, and its statistical population includes all employees of Mahshahr Petrochemical Company, numbering 20,000 people, and 384 people were selected as a statistical sample using Morgan's table. The measuring tool of the research is a questionnaire, and to measure the validity of the questionnaires using the form and content method, and to determine its reliability, Cronbach's alpha was calculated with a value of 0.82. The collected data were evaluated based on structural equation path analysis in AMOS software.

The results showed that knowledge management methods on innovation performance, knowledge management methods on knowledge application and knowledge application on innovation performance.

By using different knowledge systems in the petrochemical company, it is possible to improve the level of innovation, especially in the field of developing creative services and product and the ability to create innovation will increase.