Knowledge sharing among academics in higher education: A systematic literature review and future agenda

Abstract

The current literature on knowledge sharing among academics in higher education institutions is still fragmented and loosely focused. A systematic literature review was conducted to understand how much has been studied on this topic, to map out what are the major factors that influence knowledge sharing, and to make a chart for future research. A total of 50 articles from 2001 to 2021 have been selected and synthesized from an initial identification of 558 articles by employing electronic databases, backward searching, and forward searching. From the findings, three groups of antecedents emerged: individual, organizational, and technological factors. Among all factors, technological factors were understudied compared to individual and organizational factors. Specifically, more efforts have been put into examining the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits of knowledge sharing, organizational culture/climate, and leadership support whereas costs of knowledge sharing, organizational structure, and technology-related factors are rarely discussed. The findings provide implications for management in higher education institutions to design appropriate strategies to promote knowledge sharing among faculty staff.