The relationship between knowledge management and innovativeness with regard to the moderating role of strategic orientation in

The main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between knowledge management (KM) and innovation capability in a holding in Iran. Furthermore, regarding moderating role of strategic orientation, some practical recommendations are proposed to holding and its subsidiaries management focusing on a combination of knowledge management and strategic orientation. The literature review identified four dimensions consisting of socialization, internalization, externalization and combination for KM, three dimensions consisting of administration, process and production for innovativeness concept and three forms consisting of entrepreneurial, technological and customer for strategic orientation concept. Following the positivism philosophy and the survey method, a questionnaire (consisting of 55 questions) was distributed to collect field data. The study population in the first level of analysis (organization) includes all subsidiaries (78), and at the second level of analysis (individual) all employees (about 11,000 people). The random sample was selected using the Cochran; at the organizational level including 65 organizations, and at the individual level including 367 participants. Data normality approved through the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Then, the relationships between variables and conceptual models were examined through Pearson correlation and structural equation model. Finally, it was found that the relationship between KM and innovativeness and its dimensions is meaningful in the organizations utilizing entrepreneurial and customer orientation and is meaningless in the organization with technological orientation.