The impact of knowledge management on human capital in higher education: perception from a developing country

Abstract

Knowledge management (KM) and human capital (HC) are prominent topics in the academic environment. Knowledge is considered as a critical factor of organisation competitiveness, particularly in higher education institutions. As such, this study aims to investigate the interaction between KM practices and HC in a developing country, Jordan. It also presents a conceptual framework that promotes KM practices for HC advancement in higher education (HE) institutions in Jordan. The objectives are to provide guidance on the successful transformation of Jordanian HE institutions to knowledge institutions, in addition to helping HE improve the management of their human resources, and build an efficient HC utilisation culture. This study uses content analysis approach to systematically analyse participants' feedback and opinions and address the research questions. Overall, the results extend existing findings by highlighting the importance of incorporating the factors that affect KM practice implementation with the objective of HC improvement. We believe that this study has important implications for policy makers who focus on enhancing the competitive position of HE institutions in Jordan.