Knowledge Creation and Knowledge Sharing as a Determinant for Research Productive in Academics Libraries
CHAPTER ONE
Aim of the research
The rationale of the study is that since NOUN has been in existence for 18 years, and because the lecturers are spread throughout the country in all 10 provinces where the university has its centres. As such, the lecturers have limited personal interactions, the researcher felt that it was important to conduct a study of this nature in order to evaluate knowledge sharing in an institution of this unique nature. The aim of this study was to establish the KS practices that were practiced at the National open university of Nigeria. The study assessed the KS practices in the National open university of Nigeria Regional Centres to identify gaps, with the aim to ascertain how knowledge is being managed and shared in the distance learning university space. This includes how KS enablers and barriers have impacted on course delivery within distance learning programmes.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
What is Knowledge?
Most of the definitions of knowledge management available in various dictionaries are philosophical in nature. However, Nonaka and Takeuchi’s (1995: 58) definition of knowledge is far broader in scope and is stated as “a dynamic human process of justifying personal belief toward the truth”. Knowledge is a cognitive state of mind, achieved with the coupling of understanding and cognition. It has often been referred to as codified and documented knowledge like patents, databases, manuals, reports, procedures and white papers. Therefore, with these knowledge sources, once decoded, the information they contain, becomes knowledge which can be applied in various scenarios. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995: 58), made three important observations that firstly, knowledge, unlike information is about beliefs and commitment. Knowledge is a function of a particular stance, perspective or intention. Secondly, knowledge is about action. It is always knowledge to some end. Lastly, knowledge is content-specific and relational. This means that knowledge is often intangible and cannot be measured. It can however be shared, and it relates to some action.
Knowledge sharing
According to Srinivas (2016: 32), knowledge sharing (KS) is one of the most important pillars of knowledge management, the life cycle of which includes many disciplines as it goes through a number of stages, starting with the production of knowledge, organisation and in the end the exchange of knowledge and use. Business organisations started initiatives towards sharing of knowledge even with competition in order to promote innovation, increase productivity and provide better services. Davenport (1997) defined knowledge sharing as that which implies a conscious act by an individual who participates in the knowledge exchange even though there is no compulsion to do so. According to Ipe (2003: 341), knowledge sharing is basically the act of making knowledge available to others within the organization. Knowledge sharing between individuals is the process by which knowledge held by an individual is converted into a form that can be understood, absorbed, and used by other individuals. The use of the term sharing implies that this process of presenting individual knowledge in a form that can be used by others involves some conscious action on the part of the individual who possesses the knowledge. This conscious action means the individual acts in a manner which is driven by selfless motivation to share. Therefore, it can be argued that the initial assumption is that knowledge sharing is a voluntary act although there are extrinsic (organizational reward, codification effort, image, and reciprocity) and intrinsic factors (knowledge self-efficacy, trust and enjoyment in helping others) that affect knowledge sharing at individual level, which in turn affects the knowledge sharing collectively at organizational level.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter deals with the actual research process. It includes research design, selection of subjects, instrumentation and field procedures. This chapter also describes the data collection and recording, data processing and analysis procedures.
Research Design
Conceptually, research studies have been categorised in various ways. Hussey (2007: 10) classified research studies according to purpose as exploratory, descriptive, analytical or predictive. Descriptive research described phenomena, as they existed. It is used to identify and obtain information on characteristics of a particular problem or issue with the data collected often being quantitative and subjected to statistical techniques to summarise the information. This study took a descriptive survey approach of which it is characterized by the random selection of samples from the larger population. This method sought to gain or deepen insights into the nature of the problem through the exploration and or examination of attitudes as determinants of outcomes perceived worth for the success of and or failure of knowledge sharing at NOUN. Therefore, the knowledge obtained in a survey allows generalizations to be made about characteristics, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes of the entire population being studied (Busha and Harter, 1980). In doing so the researcher used the field method to obtain his data thus consisting of questionnaires.
CHAPTER FOUR
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
Introduction
As stated in Chapter 1, the study explored Nonaka and Takeuchi’s SECI model to explore KM sharing practices at the National open university of Nigeria. Since the SECI processes as discussed in Chapter 1 are clearly hard to measure, the research uses the KM enablers identified in the literature as indicators: organisational culture, human resources procedures, ICT and organisational structure. As explained in Chapter 3, these KM enablers were used to structure the questionnaire. This chapter summarises and analyses the data collected by questionnaires completed by the academic staff in the regional centres of the National open university of Nigeria (NOUN). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse and summarise the data.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
Introduction
This chapter goes back to the research questions identified in Chapter 1 and attempts to answer them in relation to findings from Chapter 4 and the literature reviewed in Chapter 2. This chapter returns to the research questions using data gathered across the sections of the questionnaire as summarized in the previous chapter.
he study set out to evaluate the knowledge sharing practices by academic staff at National open university of Nigeria. The underlying premise being that good KM leads to efficiency and effectiveness. It probed the existence of certain KM enablers as they provide the conducive conditions and tools that are needed in the organization to implement and practice KM. The study identified possible gaps. The chapter also makes some recommendations to the National open university of Nigeria, so that it might reap the benefits of effective knowledge sharing. The limitations that come from the chosen methodology of the study have to be acknowledged before the research questions are examined.
Conclusion
This chapter has highlighted the summary of the whole project. This chapter has also given the conclusions made by the study that lack of knowledge sharing policy in the university’s 5-year strategy negatively impacts on the university competitively positioning itself in the knowledge economy as a knowledge driven university and this impacts research productivity and distance learning course delivery at the NOUN. It has therefore established that there is need for a concerted effort on the part of the NOUN and its stakeholders that they commit themselves towards making the university a knowledge driven institution. This project is expected to help and influence decision makers to improve on the ICT access by distance learners at the National open university of Nigeria.
Recommendations
In the light of the above findings of the study, the researcher puts forward the following suggestions for further research and probable implementation by the National open university of Nigeria and the research fraternity.
- The National open university of Nigeria regional centres should be equipped with modern, up-to-date IT infrastructure with highly qualified personnel to be in place. This will facilitate knowledge sharing at a micro
- Academic Staff need to form communities of practice which will improve collaboration in
- Academic staff need to go for regular workshops and encouraged to share their knowledge of what they
REFERENCES
- Adachi, Y. (2010). ‘An Examination of SECI Model in Nonaka’s Theory in terms of the TEAM Linguistic Framework and in relation to Organization Studies in the West’, Yamanashi Global Studies, 5: 21-33.
- Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived Behavioural Control, Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control, And the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32: 665-683.
- Ajzen, I. & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behaviour. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
- Al-Hawamdeh, S. (2003). Knowledge Management: cultivating the knowledge professionals. Oxford: Chandos Publishing.
- Bahra, N. (2001). Competitive knowledge management. Palgrave: Macmillan.
- Baig, Noor ul Ain and Waheed, Ajmal (2016). Significance of Factors Influencing Online Knowledge Sharing: A Study of Higher Education Sector in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 10 (1): 01-26.
- Bang, H. K., Ellinger, A. E., Hadjimarcou, J., & Traichal, P. A. (2000). Consumer concern, knowledge, belief, and attitude toward renewable energy: An application of the reasoned action theory. Psychology & Marketing, 17(6): 449-468.
- Bartol, K. M., & Srivastava, A. (2002). Encouraging knowledge sharing: The role of organizational reward systems. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 9(1): 64-76.
- Bateson, G. (1979). Mind and nature: A necessary unity. New York: Dutton.
- Busha, C. H., & Harter, S. P. (1980). Research methods in librarianship. New York: Academic press.
- Cheng, M. Y., Ho, J. S. Y., & Lau, P. M. (2009). Knowledge sharing in academic institutions: a study of Multimedia University. Malaysia. Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 7(3): 313-324.
