Knowledge Management in Public University: Empirical Relationships Between Learning Organization and Knowledge Management Process of Tacit Knowledge

Universities have long been recognised as avenues for teaching and learning, research and discovery, as well as providers of services to the society through the application of knowledge. To strive for academic excellence, it is imperative for public universities to become a learning organization (LO). This can be done by integrating the conceptual relationship between learning organization and knowledge management process (KMP) to enhance the academic excellence of the public universities. Hence, this paper attempts to develop an empirical research model which examines the relationship between learning organisation and knowledge management process of tacit knowledge in a public university in Malaysia. The objective of this research project is to empirically investigate the conceptual relationship between the seven dimensions of the LO and the transfer process of tacit knowledge through knowledge management (KM) concept. A survey questionnaire was employed as the main instrument to collect data from the academicians in this university. The empirical findings of this study provide an initial step forward in identifying the significant conceptual relationship between the relevant dimensions of a learning organisation and the effective knowledge management process of tacit knowledge which can drive the future value for academic excellence of a public university.