Resumen

RODRIGUEZ-PONCE, Emilio; PEDRAJA-REJAS, Liliana; DELGADO, Milagros  y  RODRIGUEZ-PONCE, Juan. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY DESING AND IMPLEMENTATION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FIRMS. Ingeniare. Rev. chil. ing. [online]. 2010, vol.18, n.3, pp. 373-382. ISSN 0718-3305.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-33052010000300011.

This study has the aim to identify the existence of significant relations between knowledge management, leadership styles and the strategy design and implementation. The research works with a sample of 78 top managers of small and medium-sized firms in northern Chile. The results show that the transformational and transactional leadership have a positive impact on the strategy design quality. In addition, the knowledge creation and application are a significant determinant in the strategy quality; as well the strategy design is a decisive determinant to the strategy implementation. Therefore, the leadership styles and the knowledge management are relevant to achieve better results in the strategy design and implementation in small and medium-sized firms.

Palabras llave : Knowledge management; leadership; strategy design and implementation.