Learning Organization and Knowledge Management: Transfer Process of Tacit Knowledge in Public University for Academic Excellence

It is imperative for higher learning institutions to become a learning organization (LO) which can be accomplished by adopting knowledge management (KM) for the transferring process of tacit knowledge to drive their future value of academic excellence. Hence, the research objective of this paper is to empirically investigate the conceptual relationship between learning organization and knowledge management process of tacit knowledge which can contribute to the organizational performance of the higher learning institutions. A survey questionnaire was employed as the main instrument to collect data from the academicians in the selected public university in Malaysia. The empirical findings of this study provide an initial step forward in identifying the significant conceptual relationship between the relevant dimensions of a learning organization and the effective knowledge management process of tacit knowledge which can enhance the academic and research excellence of a public university. This research paper adapts the studies of Watkins and Marsick (1993: 1996) and Hernandez (2000) to identify the ways in which the seven dimensions of the LO and the transfer process of tacit knowledge through KM concept that could influence and improve the academic performance of the selected public university in Malaysia. The KM process of tacit knowledge is found to be the highly significant predictor and followed up by the spirit of continuous study, team learning and leadership as among the moderately significant LO components for the integration concept of LO and KM for the knowledge performance and innovation of the selected public university in Malaysia