The Relationship between Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning with Academic Staff Readiness for Education 4.0

Abstract

Purpose: Education 4.0 paves the way for a new form of the university where academicians teach, research and provide services in different ways, which raises the question of the readiness of academicians to face the challenges. This study attempts to explain to which extent the university and its academic staff are ready to face Education 4.0 challenges through the initiatives of knowledge management and organizational learning. Research Methods: Questionnaires were administered to all academic staff in one education university in Malaysia and 218 completed questionnaires were received and analyzed in this study. Data were collected using modified items from two sources to measure knowledge management and organizational learning practices at the university. Items for measuring staff readiness for Education 4.0 were developed based on criteria found in the recent literature. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings: Results indicated that the academic staff and the university were ready to face the Education 4.0 challenges. The level of organizational learning practiced by the academic staff is high, the same as the knowledge management practiced by the university. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that both organizational learning and knowledge management practices had significant positive relationships with the readiness of academic staff for Education 4.0. However, multiple regression analysis with stepwise procedures found that only one knowledge management practice and one organizational learning practice were the predictors of the readiness of the academic staff in facing the Education 4.0 challenges. Implications for Research and Practices: This study provides new insight into Education 4.0 through the perspective of knowledge management and organizational learning. Universities need to put more initiatives for knowledge creation, knowledge organization, knowledge storing, knowledge dissemination and knowledge application. Furthermore, academicians also need to put more effort into supporting new learning and ideas, formal learning and external/interface learning.