The practice of knowledge management processes: A comparative study of public and private higher education institutions in Malaysia

Authors: Ramachandran, Sharimllah Devi; Chong, Siong Choy; Ismail, Hishamuddin

Source: VINE, Volume 39, Number 3, 2009 , pp. 203-222(20)

Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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Abstract:

Purpose - <IT>The objective of this paper is to investigate and compare the practices of knowledge management (KM) processes, which have been grounded in the KM literature, between public and private higher education institutions (HEIs).</IT> Design/methodology/approach - <IT>Data were collected from 594 academics from three public and three private HEIs in Malaysia.</IT> Findings - <IT>The analyses suggest that all the six KM processes (knowledge creation, capture, organisation, storage, dissemination, and application) are moderately practiced by the institutions surveyed and that there are significant differences in the overall practices of KM processes between the public and private HEIs.</IT> Practical implications - <IT>This paper raises awareness and provides initial guidelines to the HEIs as knowledge-intensive organisations in formulating strategies on how to properly implement and manage their KM processes.</IT> Originality/value - <IT>This study has extended knowledge in KM for it is probably the first to provide a comparative analysis between public and private HEIs. It further opens up new lines of future research possibilities.</IT>

Keywords: Knowledge management; Malaysia; Private education; Public education

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03055720911003978

Publication date: 2009-08-28