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Assessing Success Factors of Knowledge Management Initiatives of Academic Institutions – a Case of an Indian Business School
Bhaskar Basu and Kalyan Sengupta
ICFAI Business School, Salt Lake, India
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A number of researchers have indicated strategic advantages of knowledge management (KM) in business and industry for sustainability in a hyper-competitive market. It has been unanimously accepted that KM initiatives are both expensive and risky propositions. These are also multi-layered and systems oriented processes requiring organizations to rethink what they should do and how they should do. Lately, there have been efforts in the academic sector as well on how knowledge initiatives can be utilized to achieve long term sustainability through effective KM initiatives. Academic institutions, however, are traditionally hierarchical with silo-like functions making cross-functional initiatives difficult to implement. In the recent past, these institutions have been compelled to change their characteristics from a social organization to a rather business-like organization due to lack of funds from the local or national authorities. As a result, they are looking out for avenues to generate funds for sustenance of their social objectives. Literature survey reveals that a number of institutions have adopted such market-like behaviours in countries like USA, UK and Australia. Here major thrust is on rapid response to environmental changes through effective KM and ROI gains precedence over social returns. The results have prompted many academic institutions of the third world countries to take up knowledge initiatives to differentiate them from their counterparts.
This paper explores the possible antecedents and consequences of academic institutions for becoming knowledge based organizations. The key KM input components were identified to be infrastructure, culture, motivation and senior management attitude. Knowledge richness of these institutions were proposed to be reflected on a number of output performance parameters like student enrollment, faculty growth, faculty attrition, campus placement, publications and industry interface. The model was tested in an exploratory manner on a reputed business school in India. The study revealed that the KM input parameters identified in the model were effective antecedents to achieve flexibility, and in turn, sustainability of the institution.
Keywords:
Knowledge management, learning organization, business school, success factors of KM
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