Workplace dimensions : tacit knowledge sharing in universities

Knowledge management is a process through which organisational intellectual capital and information can be managed. In order to be successful, both large and small organizations rely on their acquired information and intellectual capital. The use of knowledge in organizations can attribute to improvements in organisational processes and is a key element in creating and sustaining competitive advantage. Universities are knowledge organizations with knowledge embedded in people and processes. Tacit knowledge is necessary for continual improvement and responding to the external changing environment. The focus of this paper is to analyze workplace dimensions that have an impact on the transfer of tacit knowledge in four Australian universities. Providing a conducive work environment can be a positive move towards motivating employees to engage in tacit knowledge transfer. The findings have revealed a positive consensus that universities are generally very favorable to tacit knowledge transfer. The results indicate a high level of commitment from universities towards the transfer of tacit knowledge.