Nowadays, the dynamic, global economic environment is presenting the sector for higher education within developing countries with numerous challenges. Increasing demand and rapid technological changes mean that knowledge and knowledge sharing (KS) are now recognised as key resources for organisations to gain competitive advantage. The management of knowledge and promotion of KS amongst organisational members have been shown to be key elements of the process of learning since they assist in the conversion of tacit knowledge of individuals by way of interaction into knowledge that is explicit. Previous literature noted that KS is a key factor for knowledge management and it also enhances organisational knowledge sharing behaviour (KSB). Within developing countries, especially Iraq, however, institutions for higher education tend to lack KSB. This study has aimed at assessing the attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of academics and the identification of factors that support or hinder KSB of academics within developing countries, with a particular focus upon Baghdad University as a prime example for the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region. An approach with mono-methods was used, i.e. a survey; a total of 326 responses were gathered that were valid so that testing could be done of the relationship between the dependent variable KSB and the independent variables; attitude towards knowledge sharing (ATT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioural control (PBC). Through the use of AMOS Version 23 software and the structural equation modelling (SEM) software of IBM (Version 23), the research project discovered that the aforementioned predictors played a key role for KSB relationships in the Iraqi setting. Cultural differences and similarities were shown by the multi-group SEM in relation to the effects upon the university, and the results make a significant contribution to KSB theory in relation to, and in support of, the ATT, SN and PBC predictors. A deeper understanding is also provided of those relationships for educational environments in developing countries, particularly Iraq – a setting that previous research has overlooked. A more lucid picture is provided, then, of the position for Baghdad University and, with regard to the practical implications of the study, the survey results have shown that educational institutions seeking to embed knowledge sharing strategies would find it beneficial to spend time and energy upon communication, training and the exchange of knowledge skills and upon the development of relationships amongst their employees.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:740039 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Abbas, K. M. |
| Contributors | Bryde, D. |
| Publisher | Liverpool John Moores University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/8242/ |
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