A knowledge-enterprising culture is arguably one of the most important conditions leading to the success of a KM project. Indeed, many authors have identified culture as the most significant barrier to sharing knowledge (Ruggles, 1998; McDermott & O'Dell, 2001; Moore & Dainty, 2001; Holton, 2001). The prevailing organisational culture effectively shapes the attitudes of employees towards knowledge sharing (Carter & Scarbrough, 2001). However, managed effectively, a supportive culture can be a positive benefit to knowledge sharing. In an organisation with a culture supportive of knowledge sharing, people share ideas and insights because they see it as natural, rather than because they are forced to do it (McDermott & O'Dell, 2001).

According to McDermott and O'Dell (2001), the most obvious place to begin understanding an organisation's culture is to explore the espoused values, philosophy, and mission of the organisation. This is often encapsulated within the organisational mission statement-an explicit articulation of the strategic direction and operating goals of the organisation. These statements will almost certainly say something about the culture, even if they simply represent the aspirations of the firm. At a deeper level, most organisations have an unspoken set of core values that guide both what people do and how they make sense of each other's actions. These often comprise simple precepts, but effectively form the core values of the organisation. These values are often most clearly manifested in what it sees as its rewards. These rewards can be obvious, such as in the form of pay/financial benefits or training and promotional opportunities. Alternatively, recognition can come in simpler forms of reward such as verbal praise for a job well done. Regardless of their nature, rewards reinforce and transmit the culture by providing tangible evidence of what the organisation does or does not value. Changes to the reward system, such as introducing a new performance management system, often lead to changes in culture (Harman & Brelade, 2000). This, in turn, will affect the way in which people view the role of knowledge sharing within the organisation.