Purpose: The study explores the impact of knowledge management (KM) enablers, i.e. trust and organizational climate, on KM processes. The study further observes the indirect relationship of KM processes on organizational performance via the mediating role of knowledge workers' satisfaction in cross-cultural settings. Design/methodology/approach: This research used a survey of 784 educational and administrative personnel from higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan and China. Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) 3.2.9 was employed to perform the analysis. Findings: The result shows that trust and organizational climate influences KM processes, and these KM processes, in turn, impact organizational performance via the partial mediating effect of knowledge worker satisfaction (KWS) in Pakistan. The multi-group analysis confirmed the substantial differential effect of KM processes on KWS in culturally different HEIs. At the same time, the study's overall sample substantiated full mediation in China. Furthermore, the impact of KM processes on organizational performance did not substantiate in China. Practical implications: Outcomes of this research affirm KM university practice and recommend how higher education academics and administrators prioritize trust, organizational climate, KM processes, and KWS while strengthening organizational performance in a culturally different environment. Originality/value: A lack of research ascertains the inter-relationship between trust, organizational climate, KM processes, KWS, and organizational performance in culturally different environments. This is one of the initial studies that examine the relationship between trust, organizational climate, KM processes, KWS, and organizational performance in HEIs. The study empirically examines the inter-relationships among these variables and enlightens insights into the current literature by immediately investigating the mediating role of KWS in culturally different environments.