Abstract:
Today knowledge management and knowledge sharing has been appeared as one of the
most important areas in knowledge management practices and established as a basic
resource for the organization's competitive advantage over the world. Therefore, to be
competent organizations need to manage knowledge. Knowledge sharing is the main
backbone of knowledge management, because having knowledge is meaningless unless it
is shared and allowed it to be used by others. The concept knowledge sharing practice
was limited acceptance in higher education institutions. The aim of this study was to
assess the existing knowledge sharing practices among the academic staff of Adama
Science and Technology University (ASTU) and Jimma University (JU). In addition, the
study identified the level or extent of knowledge sharing practices, barriers that hinders
knowledge sharing practices, the mechanisms used for knowledge sharing among the
academic staff of ASTU and JU. This study employed the descriptive research design
from descriptive cross- sectional survey and qualitative and quantitative (mixed)
research approaches and conducted from May 29, 2013 to June 10, 2013 in Jimma
University and from June 15, 2013 to June 30, 2013 in Adama University. A selfadministered questionnaire was distributed to a total of 316 staffs in Adama and Jimma
(177 & 139) Universities respectively and to collect qualitative data in-depth interviews
was done with four key informants. The data were cleaned, coded and fed into SPSS
Version 16.0 and analyzed using mean, variance, standard deviation, and factor analysis.
The finding of the study revealed that Adama and Jimma Universities academic staffs
were not satisfied with the existing knowledge sharing practices, there were no
motivational scheme for knowledge sharing and individual, organizational and
technological factors affect the staffs not to share knowledge. It is recommended that
appropriate mechanisms be in place for knowledge sharing, there should be mechanisms
to motivate knowledge sharing and the top management should take possible
measurement for individual, organizational and technological factors that affect
knowledge sharing practices.
