Knowledge creation and transfer amongst post-graduate students : a research project.

Abstract

Knowledge is believed to be the last competitive advantage that organizations have, be it academic or corporate, small to medium enterprises, and non-government and government organizations. The knowledge that an organization has stems from the individuals they develop and the tangible and intangible resources available. The skill shortages, hypercompetitive economic environments, and untapped economies that exist have created great deal of focus in knowledge. Continuously creating and transferring the valuable resource of knowledge is integral for every organization. The purpose of the research project is to address by what methods post graduate students are generating along with transferring knowledge in the School of Management, IT, and Governance at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The primary focus of the research project is established from the knowledge (SECI) spiral model which was developed by Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), and the knowledge conversion modes that are embedded within the knowledge spiral. An extensive literature review was carried out to gain valuable insight and understanding of the knowledge (SECI) spiral model developed by Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995). The literature review focused on the interpretations of tacit and explicit knowledge, the interplay between the two concepts (knowledge conversion), the knowledge spiral, the theory of Ba, the knowledge enablers, as well as the building blocks of the knowledge spiral - data, information, and knowledge. An e-mail and personally administered questionnaire survey was employed to collect data from post-graduate students at the School of Management, IT and Governance in the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The data was analyzed and utilized to distinguish in Nonaka and Takeuchi's model is in use or not based on the four modes of knowledge conversion. Frequency tables provided the researcher with a means to study differences between respondents. What has been identified is that the School of Management, IT and Governance in the University of KwaZulu-Natal has the mechanisms in place to facilitate knowledge creation and transfer but tend to focus on the four modes of knowledge conversion in varying degrees.