Knowledge Management: Evaluating Strategies and Processes Used in Higher Education

The promise of Knowledge Management (KM), coupled with ever-growing academic and intellectual resources, has led Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to explore strategies aimed at increasing knowledge-based activities with common organizational goals. The goal of this dissertation was to ascertain whether the KM process used in business and industry is applicable in the field of higher education. This study investigated the integration of KM initiatives into the organizational culture of HEIs by utilizing a case study method. The qualitative methods used in this study are designed to gain a deeper understanding of KM processes within HEIs. The study began with the case study selection. The approach used related research fields of knowledge management, learning organizations, knowledge managing systems, teaching and learning theories and balanced scorecard theory to explore the case. Prior to the examination of the case a modified was conducted Delphi study to develop questions applicable to KM in the higher education environment. Through triangulation three types of evidence (questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis) were used to analyze and report the results of using KM in a HEIs. The results demonstrated several important findings: first, teaching and learning can be enhanced by using KM, that is, what the institution knows is easily shared among all members when KM is used. Second, respondents reported that the KM development was of significant help for knowledge workers at an HEI, especially in the area of research. While the results revealed strong support for KM usage at JSU, there was also a recognition of the weakness of specific KM performance results in some aspects of the KM program, especially in the areas that required knowledge sharing among different departments. Lastly, recommendations for further research are offered in order to help identify successful KM initiatives in HEls