Institutional research as the catalyst for the extent and effectiveness of knowledge-management practices in improving planning and decision-making in higher education organizations

Scope of study. This quantitative descriptive study was designed to determine the extent and effectiveness of knowledge-management practice in improving planning and decision-making in different types of higher education organizations. Additionally, this study examined the role of the institutional research function as catalyst and primary knowledge driver in the organization. Knowledge-management is a source of competitive advantage and operational improvement in organizations. Higher education has been identified as lagging behind the corporate sector in knowledge-management. A post-test only non-experimental design was employed to address the research questions and determine the knowledge-management practices proven most effective in improving planning and decision-making in different types of organizations. Institutional research officers from 450 higher education organizations were randomly selected to participate in this study. Of the 450 surveys distributed, 177 were returned, giving a response rate of 39.3%.;Findings and conclusions. While higher education knowledge-management practice was not as consistently formal, as in corporations, its effectiveness in improving planning and decision-making showed a pattern of moderate implementation and application. The institutional research function in higher education acted as the catalyst resulting in this pattern. Best practices in higher education organizations for improving planning and decision-making included using both tacit- and explicit-knowledge in concert; face-to-face knowledge-sharing; flexible organization structures; institutional research as supporter of knowledge-sharing; information technology (the knowledge-sharing enabler, coupled with an organizational environment promoting knowledge-sharing motivation); systems facilitation, and organizational trust. A significant finding was the strong relationship between effective organizational learning and the presence of a formal knowledge-management program.;Higher education organizations practiced knowledge-management through the institutional research function. Higher-level Knowledge Management Process Framework (KMPF) and lower-level Socialization-Externalization-Combination-Internalization (SECI) constructs were significant contributors in improving planning and decision-making, and KMPF constructs were found to be more effective than SECI constructs. Smaller organizations showed significantly greater use of practices related to Get and Use constructs and in effectiveness of the Assess construct. Two-year public colleges showed significantly greater effectiveness in using Externalization and Combination constructs. Higher education organizations that have provided a solid infrastructure of systems and support coupled with opportunities for people to share knowledge both face-to-face and electronically have made improvements in planning and decision-making.