Study related knowledge management process at the university department: theoretical approach

Abstract

Educating professionals for knowledge organizations becomes a relevant goal of education. The underlying asset of knowledge organizations is unique knowledge possessing the essential worth for organizations’ value creation. In the dynamic structure of professionals’ competences the abilities of organizational learning are fundamental. Thus knowledge management increasingly becomes the paradigm uniting education and management. In this context universities identify themselves as knowledge organizations, the basic structural units of which – departments – have to distinguish themselves in the essential features of knowledge management if they wish to be able to educate future professionals for knowledge organizations. As research publications on studies related to knowledge management process at the university department are missing, modelling of such knowledge management process is a relevant research problem, which presupposes the question: what aspects of studies related knowledge management process are characteristic of the university department?This article provides a theoretical rationale for study related knowledge management process at the university department.

As a result of research literature analysis, the following conclusions have been drawn:

• The paradigm of knowledge management expands the concept of study related performance of the university department by adding the concept of study related knowledge management process.

• The concept of organizational learning as learning on individual and collective levels as well as at their interface, which creates organizational knowledge for empowering the construction, implementation and development of study programmes, is insufficientfor encouraging indepth changes of study related performance that respond to the challenges of the contemporary universit y.

• The process of study related knowledge management process is defined as an integrated whole of activities initiated and (or) supported at the university department for the sake of identifying, acquiring, creating, disseminating study related knowledge, storing valuable knowledge and applying it in studies. Organizational learning and its empowerment are of special importance in the process of study related knowledge management.