identifying dimensions and components of the knowledge sharing implementation model in educational organizations (case study: school managers in ahvaz)
omid ahmadi babadi
phd student, educational management department, ahvaz branch, islamic azad university, ahvaz, iran.
orcid: 0000-0001-8553-0366
ahmadi.babadi@yahoo.com
yadollah mehralizadeh
professor, educational management department, ahvaz branch, islamic azad university, ahvaz, iran (corresponding author).
orcid: 0000-0002-0451-2455
jafari@vatanmail.ir
maria nasiri
assistant professor, information science and knowledge studies department, ahvaz branch, islamic azad university, ahvaz, iran.
orcid: 0000-0003-1881-8401
nasiri.m@gmail.com
mohammad hosseinpour
associate professor, educational management department, ahvaz branch, islamic azad university, ahvaz, iran.
orcid: 0000-0003-2788-8516
hosseinpour6@yahoo.com
received: 6 september 2024 | revised: 21 october 2024 | accepted: 05 november 2024
extended abstract
the main objective of this research is to identify the dimensions and components of the knowledge-sharing implementation model in educational organizations. in today's world, knowledge sharing is recognized as a vital factor in improving educational quality and enhancing the performance of educational organizations. given the importance of this topic, the present study examines and analyzes various aspects of this process in the education organization of ahvaz.
the research method is qualitative with a grounded theory approach. the statistical population of this study includes all experts, specialists, managers, and educational leaders in the education organization of ahvaz. data collection was conducted through purposive sampling until data saturation was achieved.
ultimately, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 members of the statistical population. this method allows for open-ended questions and interview flexibility, leading to a deeper understanding of the participants' opinions and experiences.
for data analysis, qualitative content analysis was employed, focusing on open and axial coding. the results of this research indicate that the main factors affecting knowledge sharing include five key factors: individual factors (with 8 components), organizational factors (with 8 components), and cultural factors (with 5 components), infrastructural factors (with 5 components), and managerial factors (with 5 components).
these findings highlight the importance of addressing various dimensions of knowledge sharing in educational organizations. they can assist managers and educational policymakers in designing and implementing effective strategies to improve educational quality.
these results emphasize that to improve the knowledge-sharing process in educational organizations, individual factors and other organizational, cultural, infrastructural, and managerial factors should be considered simultaneously.
this comprehensive approach can help create a suitable environment for knowledge sharing and ultimately lead to improved educational quality and performance of educational organizations. in other words, paying attention to different dimensions of this process, especially individual dimensions, can be used as a key strategy in developing and improving the knowledge-sharing culture in organizations.
previous studies such as deng et al. (2023) have concluded that the attitude, interest, and professional abilities of the knowledge recipient and his/her relationship with the knowledge sharer are effective in knowledge sharing. also, research by choi lim (2021) and cheng (2021) has shown that personality factors and individual attitudes play a vital role in knowledge sharing. positive attitudes and relationships to share knowledge among university faculty members, as well as subjective norms and trust, have a significant impact on the intention to share knowledge.
in addition to individual factors, organizational, cultural, infrastructural, and managerial factors also affect the process of knowledge sharing. organizational factors including organizational structure and internal processes, cultural factors including cultural values and beliefs, infrastructural factors including technical and technological tools, and managerial factors including management policies and approaches, all play an important role in facilitating or hindering knowledge-sharing.
these factors should be considered comprehensively and simultaneously to achieve improvement in the knowledge-sharing process.
in explaining the findings of this study, it can be said that knowledge sharing in educational organizations and institutions, especially in schools, is recognized as one of the key tools for improving performance and promoting educational quality.
this process requires attention to a set of individual, organizational, cultural, infrastructural, and managerial factors that can directly and indirectly affect the quality and effectiveness of knowledge sharing. individual components, including criticality, trust, and individual abilities, are particularly important in this context and should be considered.
finally, educational administrators and policymakers are advised to pay special attention to the importance of individual factors in the knowledge-sharing process and design their educational and managerial programs based on these factors.
in particular, creating a culture of trust in educational environments and encouraging criticality can significantly help improve the knowledge-sharing process.
in addition, it is necessary to improve the infrastructure and technological tools related to knowledge sharing. providing appropriate technologies and access to information resources can facilitate the knowledge-sharing process.
also, creating supportive management policies that encourage and facilitate knowledge sharing is of great importance.
implementing these suggestions can help improve the quality of education enhance performance in schools, and overall lead to the sustainable and effective development of the education system.
given these factors, educational organizations will be able to create a conducive environment for learning and knowledge sharing, which will ultimately lead to improved educational outcomes and professional growth of organization members.
keywords: knowledge, knowledge sharing, knowledge management, school managers
contribution of authors
all authors have participated in this research in equal proportion.
ethical approval
written informed consent was obtained from the individuals for their anonym zed information to be published in this article.
conflict of interest
no conflicts of interest are declared by the authors.