Knowledge Sharing Among Academic Staff: A Case Study of Business Schools in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract As the world moves towards a “knowledge based economy”, knowledge is increasingly being considered as the main driver of this economy. The success of economies in the future shall be based on how companies or organizations acquire, use, and leverage knowledge effectively. However, most organizations tend to over-emphasize on systems and tools, rather than on the core component that is knowledge sharing within the organization. Knowledge sharing is vital in knowledge-based organizations such as universities, since the majority of the employees are knowledge workers. In an educational set up, effective knowledge sharing ensures that academics are able to realize and develop their potential to the fullest. Educational institutions play a key role in knowledge creation. The tacit knowledge that academic staff creates or gains is embedded in their minds and constitutes the storehouse of an educational institution’s intellectual capital. This paper focuses on knowledge sharing activities among academic staff in Business Schools in the Klang Valley. With the help of a survey-based methodology, this paper examines the barriers that exist in sharing knowledge in an academic environment. An attempt is made to identify the mechanisms that may help in encouraging knowledge sharing.