Knowledge sharing in academia: a case study using a SECI model approach

Knowledge has been seen to be a valuable asset and resource in the rising economy, evidenced from recent developments (May & Stewart, 2013). The philosophy in this new economy is to acquire, capture, create knowledge from what has and could have been learned. Knowledge sharing is commonly seen as a part and parcel activity in almost all institutions in the field of academics such as seminar classes, workshops, training and publications where knowledge is effectively shared. The goal of this paper is to probe knowledge sharing in academia with the use of the SECI model (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1996). The SECI model for knowledge creation is based on four quadrants of knowledge transfer namely Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation (SECI). This paper looks towards pointing out the significant activities students and academics take part in as part of a case study; the technology used to aid in sharing knowledge; the plausible factors that encourage knowledge sharing; the hindrances that affect knowledge sharing within academia. Findings conclusively disclosed that incentives, attitudes and individual expectations are vital factors in encouraging both students and academics to engage in knowledge sharing activities and also that knowledge sharing is a vital factor in the success of academic institutions. For instance, knowledge hoarding can be detrimental, and unfortunately is often inherent within academia due to pressures in publishing. Hence, successful knowledge sharing is an indispensable factor within the academia, particularly with regard to enabling successful curriculum reform, which depends on good research acumen