Knowledge sharing practices in a higher learning institution: myth or reality?

Abstract

Vision 2020, inspired by our former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, aims to make Malaysia a developed nation by year 2020.With respective to this vision, in September 2002 the Government of Malaysia has launched the K-economy Strategic Master Plan.This plan aims to give Malaysia the competitive advantage needed to compete in today’s complex and dynamic environments. The plan asserted the importance of knowledge and suggest a plan to increase and promote the numbers of knowledge workers in Malaysia.This plan is most important due to the price of knowledge held in today’s world. As stressed by Drucker, 1992 (as cited in Lang 2001),knowledge act as the primary resource of the new economy. As a result, the government is now dependent very heavily on Higher Education Organizations (HEO) especially universities (Krishnasamy& Nair, 2004).Universities can play a major role in creation and dissemination of knowledge. The results of research done as well as innovation produced by academicians, for instance is one of the vital sources of knowledge. Hence, the higher learning institutions should focus on the way it creates and shares knowledge.Knowledge sharing practices is the most important among academicians due to the understanding that the acquiring of knowledge is a never ending road. Academicians especially must strive for a better understanding of their field as well as others in order to be someone who can be considered as an expert in his or her field. This is also because academicians are one of the referred group sought by the government whenever policy needs to be made.