The Effect of Knowledge Management on the Technical Indicators of Revolutionary Longevity of Equipment in the I.R.I Navy Emphasizing the Role of Training

The Navy is an equipment-centric force dealing with complex and expensive equipment; therefore, it is necessary to identify the factors that can lead to revolutionary longevity of this equipment and utilize them in planning associated training programs. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the effect of knowledge management on the technical indicators of revolutionary longevity of equipment in the IRI Navy.
Three indicators for revolutionary longevity of equipment are defined, namely: correct driving and proper usage of equipment, proper repair and maintenance of equipment, and optimization, updating and upgrading of equipment. Knowledge management was also considered based on the Hicks model consisting of four components: knowledge creation, knowledge storage, sharing of knowledge, and the application of knowledge. The statistical population of this research comprises deputies, commanders, managers and technical officers of the IRI Navy headquarters and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th naval districts. Using random stratified sampling method, 122 samples were chosen to fill questionnaires. For collecting the relevant data, a questionnaire containing 32 questions was designed, 17 of which related to knowledge management and the other 15 related to different indicators and components of revolutionary longevity of equipment. To analyze the data obtained from the questionnaires for this research paper – applied in purpose, descriptive-survey in nature – structural equations modeling method and path analysis technique have been used using LISREL software. The results of this research demonstrated that the implementation of knowledge management has a positive effect on the revolutionary longevity of equipment in the IRI Navy.