The power of knowledge management in tertiary sector

Abstract

Tertiary Education Organisations generate significant amounts of data within the course of their primary activities and have multiple complex processes to manage the work of the Faculties, Student Support and Administrative Services. This makes knowledge management a critical necessity to ensure continuity across the organisation. The project examines the practices at Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus which is as a joint venture and has a unique challenge of having to merge knowledge management systems from two different tertiary education organisations – Future Skills and Otago Polytechnic. The project explores internal communications, individual work preferences and knowledge accessibility as key contributors to knowledge management through document analysis and thematic analysis of interviews with members of Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus academic and professional teams/ departments. The findings identified that different departments rely on individual processes that may vary significantly depending on personal preferences of the key internal stakeholders and often compartmentalise beneficial information without making it available to stakeholders outside of their teams. This research highlighted the challenges of relying on faculty-specific systems for managing operational data, which extends into different knowledge management systems across the organisation and complicates knowledge transfer. The evidence was used to make a case for higher integration of the knowledge management processes within the organisation as a way to maintain consistent quality standards and reduce operational costs, particularly within the context of increased volatility of the higher education sector.