Knowledge Sharing in Academics
Knowledge is critical for any society or business to drive competitiveness in a diverse environment. In the world of technological advancement, it is compulsive to acquire knowledge to increase skills and abilities. The abundance of knowledge cannot guarantee success until it is applied. In fact, knowledge that is applied and shared would enrich the knowledge within the society. Higher Learning Institutions are the center of continuous knowledge development such that a continuous revisit of their curriculum is needed to meet the demands of the paradigm shift. Hence, it is a societal duty to develop an environment where apprentices can learn to survive through the tough time ahead. They have to represent the future workforce, play their part in developing society and infrastructure, and be the strength of an economic system.
Besides, commonly shared knowledge is explicit, easy to share, and typically composed of frequently used information, theories, and concepts. The real treasure is tacit knowledge that is intangible and significantly hidden underneath so-called “a giant submerged portion.” However, the utilization of tacit knowledge is essential as it is the main component of humans’ knowledge and skills. In an organizational environment, more than 80% of the knowledge is implicit, but the real challenge is to convert it into explicit at the pinnacle. Hence, leveraged knowledge-sharing practices are crucial.
In most cases, the tacit knowledge sharer is a volunteer, but to get maximum benefit, it requires that both the sharer and receiver willingly participate. Several reasons restrict the knowledge sharer from participating voluntarily, such as lack of confidence such as language barriers, moral support, and the absence of an encouraging environment. In the corporate world, one big reason for not sharing tacit knowledge is insecurity from peers and lack of competency.
On the other hand, mutually exchanged knowledge leads to developing “new knowledge.” The concept of knowledge sharing originated because shared knowledge can guarantee success. Knowledge sharing aims to spread knowledge among peers, employees, and society to benefit others. Thereafter, the success behind Knowledge Sharing Systems (KSS) is the concept of knowledge sharing and distribution so that the right information can be reached to the right person, at the right time, in the right place, and within the righteous context.
Technology-driven solutions significantly impacted knowledge-sharing practices and positively contributed toward enhancing coordination and communication. Researches also highlights the shortcoming of presently available knowledge-sharing technologies as they blur the boundaries between work and non-work domains by inflaming work-life conflicts and negatively impacting job performance. Therefore, a need emerges to eliminate the inconsistency in job performance created by existing knowledge-sharing technologies by further exploring the field to develop industry-specific KS platforms.
Despite the crucial role of higher education in facilitating knowledge-sharing, educational institutes face significant challenges in fostering effective knowledge-sharing practices. The foremost challenge is considering the importance of knowledge-sharing practices from students’ perspectives because this aspect is vital for effectively fostering innovation. Knowledge-sharing practices in higher education institutes mainly revolve around staff members, leaving a gap in understanding and research concerning strategies to encourage knowledge-sharing among students. Moreover, Higher Learning Institutions are the center of continuous knowledge development such that a constant revisit of their curriculum is needed to meet the demands of the paradigm shift. Hence, a societal duty is, to develop an environment where apprentices can learn to survive through the tough time ahead. They have to represent the future workforce, play their part in developing society and infrastructure, and be the strength of an economic system. To develop a knowledge-based society, there is an insistence for higher education to re-organize the institutions into an entity capable of fostering intelligence and creativity.