Knowledge Sharing among Academic Staff in the Higher Education Institution

Abstract

Organizational success relies heavily on knowledge sharing. Having a knowledge-sharing philosophy within an organization has a significant impact on its success because it stimulates staff's desire to address the organization's challenges and concerns. This study aims to examine the effect of attitude, Subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on knowledge sharing among academic staff—the study conducted among academic staff at three private universities located in Erbil. The data were collected by questionnaires method, 163 valid questionnaires analyzed by Structural Equation Modelling SEM, Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) after ensuring validity and reliability. The results showed a positive and significant impact of attitude, Subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on knowledge sharing among academic staff. As well, perceived behavioral control had a major impact on knowledge sharing followed by Subjective norm. The university should support academics and establish innovative climates and norms to develop positive attitudes in the organization to enable university staff to share their knowledge.

Why do academicians share knowledge? A study of higher education institutions in India

“… Obrenovic et al (2020) conducted an empirical study to examine the knowledge sharing behavior among the employees of various technological firms in Croatia in industries such as electronics, medicine, IT, and biochemistry. Furthermore, the last decade has witnessed some imperative studies on knowledge sharing behavior in the education sector, especially HEIs ( Sadiq Sohail and Daud, 2009 ; Al-Kurdi et al, 2018 , 2020 ; Prabhakar et al, 2018 ; Chedid et al, 2019 , 2022 ; Farrukh et al, 2020 ; Jameel et al, 2021 ; Syed et al, 2021 ; Mutahar et al, 2022 ; Kaba et al, 2023 ; Shaukat et al, 2023 ). Kaba et al (2023) examined the demographic characteristics differences in the knowledge sharing behavior of non-academic staff of two universities in India and the UAE.…”

“…As per the previous literature, universities have been facing a big challenge in form of academicians’ unwillingness to share knowledge with others ( Mutahar et al, 2022 ). University managements need the motivation of these individuals for a positive approach toward knowledge sharing ( Jameel et al, 2021 ; Obrenovic et al, 2021 ). Hence, it is critical to add motivation to share knowledge into the research model of further investigations.…”

“…Such practices have helped them to achieve their goals ( Al-Kurdi et al, 2020 ). Like these organizations, knowledge sharing plays a key role in educational institutions ( Jameel et al, 2021 ). Specifically, higher education institutions (HEIs) are like knowledge control rooms that have a vital role in the socio-economic advancement of nations ( Syed et al, 2021 ; Shaukat et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Historically, academicians have practiced freedom and autonomy in their institutions ( Sporn, 1996 ). They are typically recognized as the intellectual leaders of society who play a major role in creating and utilizing knowledge and intellectual property through research, teaching, and learning ( Kim and Ju, 2008 ; Al-Kurdi et al, 2020 ; Jameel et al, 2021 ). Additionally, their performance and productivity are the key determinants of the ranking of universities, which include publications, conference participations, community services, and professional activities ( Massoudi et al, 2020 ; Syed et al, 2021 ).…”

Applying Knowledge Management Processes to ‎Improve Institutional Performance ‎

“…Therefore, it is imperative that institutions support, develop and develop human cadres to make them able to keep pace with these developments and exploit and use them with the highest possible efficiency. One of the most important ingredients for the success of institutions is the ability to catch up with the latest changes in the era of the technological and information revolution as a result of the tremendous development that has occurred in communication technology and its uses in the field of information and knowledge (Jameel et al, 2021).…”