Influence of Knowledge Management Infrastructure on Organizational Resilience Among Travel Firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya
Abstract
Tourism is an important driver of global economic progress and a key enabler of sustainable development. In 2024, the sector generated approximately USD 11.1 trillion, representing 10% of global GDP, and reflecting a 12.1% annual growth. Organizational resilience is a critical capability for tours and travel firms seeking to survive and adapt amid disruptions in dynamic tourism environments. Limited empirical research has examined the effect of knowledge management infrastructure on organizational resilience, especially in developing country contexts for tours and travel companies. The study examined the effect of knowledge management infrastructure on organizational resilience of tours and travel firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study adopted a pragmatist epistemological philosophy and a mixed-methods research design. The target population comprised 1,541 respondents. Stratified random sampling was used for tours and travel firm personnel while purposive sampling was used for management team representatives. The Yamane formula resulted in a sample of 318, which was adjusted to 286 following the exclusion of 32 pretest respondents, and 233 participants responded (81.47%). Data were collected through structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and personal observation. All variables recorded Cronbach’s alpha coefficients above 0.70, indicating reliability. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26, to calculate means, standard deviations, and frequencies for knowledge management infrastructure as an independent variable and organizational resilience as the dependent variable. Simple linear regression analysis was conducted to assess the effect of knowledge management infrastructure on organizational resilience, while qualitative data from interviews and personal observation were analyzed thematically using ATLAS.ti software to complement and enrich the quantitative findings. Knowledge management infrastructure was found to have a significant positive effect on organizational resilience (β = 0.469, p < .001), accounting for 30.0% of the variance among tours and travel firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Qualitative results showed that most tours and travel firms relied on basic tools and lacked fully integrated digital systems to support knowledge management and organizational resilience. Tours and travel firm managers should strengthen their knowledge management infrastructure through investment in affordable digital platforms, cloud storage and integrated knowledge systems. These findings support SDG 8 and SDG 9.
Keywords: Knowledge management infrastructure, organizational resilience, travel firm, Nairobi City County, Kenya
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