Measuring the Maturity of Knowledge-Based Management of Human Resources

Abstract

In today's volatile and demanding environments, organizations face increasing pressure to balance employee well-being (Kim & Cho, 2024). Given that personnel expenses often constitute the largest share of organizational budgets (Kuntaliitto, 2024), knowledge-based human resource management (KHRM) becomes essential for organizations to survive and remain competitive. The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing the development of knowledge-based management of human resources and to develop an assessment model for evaluating the maturity level of knowledge-based management of human resources. The developed assessment model was tested in Finnish public sector context. The model complements existing maturity frameworks by operationalizing maturity dimensions into measurable statements, enabling organizations to assess not only structural readiness but also perceived satisfaction and cultural alignments. Measuring employee satisfaction as part of determining maturity levels is important, as previous studies have shown that employee satisfaction supports the adoption of new ways of working in organizations. In addition, this model can be used to measure the realization of the benefits achieved with KHRM in the organization. This model has dual focus on objective capability and subjective experience, and it offers a novel contribution to the maturity model literature and supports more holistic HR development strategies.