Presenting a structural-interpretive model of factors affecting knowledge sharing in academic settings.

Biranvand, Ali; Rahmaniyan, Sareh; Mohammadi Nejad Ganji, Alireza; Irvani, Massoud

doi:10.22055/slis.2021.38824.1861

Presenting a structural-interpretive model of factors affecting knowledge sharing in academic settings.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ali Biranvand ¹

Sareh Rahmaniyan ²

Alireza Mohammadi Nejad Ganji ³

Massoud Irvani ⁴

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Payame Noor University, Iran.

² Instructor of Department of Management, Payam Noor University, Iran

³ Assistant Professor,, Department of Educational Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Iran.

⁴ MA. Department of Knowledge and Information Science. Payame Noor University, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22055/slis.2021.38824.1861

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Knowledge application describes the practical use of knowledge that has been created, absorbed, and put into the knowledge management cycle. An important factor in knowledge management is knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing in higher education institutions is a very important process. Universities play a significant role in the progress of societies by producing, storing, and disseminating knowledge through innovative and applied research. Academics, as agents of knowledge production and dissemination in society, must have the necessary motivation to share knowledge. Motivation is crucial for all knowledge-based work. Knowledge sharing is the core of innovation in universities and higher education institutions, as knowledge is shared specifically to improve organizational performance. Since knowledge sharing is voluntary, the process depends on the willingness of the individuals involved and involves active communication, dialogue with colleagues, and effective collaboration. Universities should seek ways to transfer knowledge from experts to non-experts in a timely manner. The process of knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing requires executive support to motivate employees. Knowledge sharing allows universities and higher education institutions to exploit knowledge-based assets. Universities and higher education institutions in developing countries such as Iran should prioritize knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing preserves the knowledge of experienced academics and utilizes it. Therefore, knowledge sharing will be a vital part of the university's overall mission to advance the goals of society. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively identify the factors affecting knowledge sharing and analyze the levels of influence and impact of the identified variables in order to create a suitable context for strengthening knowledge management in universities. Accordingly, the present study has examined the factors affecting knowledge sharing among staff and academic members of Payam Noor University in order to answer the question in a theoretical dimension: what does knowledge sharing mean in universities and what factors affect it? And in a methodological dimension, it will answer the question: what are the cause-effect relationships and levels of influence and impact of factors affecting knowledge sharing among staff and academic members of universities?
Methodology: Considering the main objective of this research, which is to explain the factors affecting knowledge sharing in universities, the present research is an applied research in terms of purpose and an exploratory research in terms of method. The statistical population of the research includes the faculty members of Payam Noor University. Using judgmental (purposive) sampling, 19 knowledgeable and opinionated experts in the field of knowledge management were selected as members of the expert panel with the following criteria: having sufficient expertise and experience, and deep knowledge of the research topic. The data collection method in this research is divided into two categories: library and field (questionnaire). In the library section, the results of previous research were studied. In this study, 15 indicators (including: self-efficacy, management support, reward system, university macro policies, intra-organizational relations, software infrastructure, hardware infrastructure, personal interaction, participatory management, trust, personal expectations, use of social media, willingness to share knowledge, knowledge workers, knowledge culture) were identified in three factors: individual, organizational, and technology. In the second stage, these indicators were evaluated using the fuzzy Delphi method. In the third part of the research, the structural-interpretive modeling technique was used to identify and design the pattern of relationships between the indicators.
Findings: Based on the results, the variables of self-efficacy, managerial support, reward system, university macro policies, software infrastructure, hardware infrastructure, personal interaction, trust, personal expectations, use of social media, knowledge sharing tendency, knowledge staff, and knowledge-based culture Introduced as effective factors on knowledge sharing in Payame Noor University. The results indicate that macro-university policies, managerial support, and knowledge-based culture are the most influential factors. Self-efficacy and knowledge staff variables are the most influential factors identified in this study
Discussion: So far, no similar research has examined the internal and external relations, determining the levels of influence and effectiveness of the effective factors in knowledge sharing in the university, and the present study is innovative in this regard.

Keywords

Knowledge management

Knowledge Sharing

Motivation to share knowledge

structural-interpretive modeling

Payame Noor University

Subjects

Knowledge Management

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