Knowledge Management Promising Contribution to University Performance: Empirical Study Based on Teachers’ Opinions

Abstract

This study concerns the application of knowledge management systems (KMS) in higher education institutions in Algeria. In the first part of this work, a theoretical model of KMS was proposed, whereas in the second part, the model was tested by surveys carried out by students in the Algerian university. This paper, as a third part, presents the data processing process of the questionnaire for the “teacher” actor. The proposed model has three main elements: inputs (different types of knowledge), processes (the four functions: acquire, capitalise, disseminate and use) and results (the three performance perspectives: customer satisfaction, operational excellence and direction of product). Based on a functional analysis, we propose hypotheses to study the cause-and-effect relationships between knowledge management (KM) and the performance of the university. After a complete analysis (descriptive, exploratory (EFA), confirmatory (CFA), correlation, regression and finally SEM) of the data obtained by completed questionnaires, the results provide empirical evidence for some of the proposed hypotheses and confirm that KM has a positive effect on performance. A high intensity of KM activities has a significant positive influence, directly or indirectly, on university performance. The results of this empirical study indicate that policies that encourage interactions between the teacher and administration or with foreign teachers would increase teacher satisfaction and ensure pedagogical excellence, management and openness that ultimately contribute to the performance of the university. In contrast, the results also show that the university should have a specific policy concerning academic and especially technical knowledge. Teaching materials and practices, the knowledge of the teaching act and the technological infrastructure are indicators according to the opinion of teachers, which may not have a significant effect in improving the performance of the university.