Transformation into learning organisation-effect of knowledge management on performance parameters of higher educational institutions with special reference to India

Dynamics of modern day, education system require an educational institute especially a higher educational institute to operate in a highly competitive environment. Amongst various tools to achieve this competitive advantage, adoption of knowledge management practices/processes is considered to be an extremely important. Effective deployment of knowledge management practices/processes in higher educational institute is considered to transform a static organization to dynamic organization by way of perpetual learning, also called learning organization. Various researchers have acknowledged the importance of learning organizations to organizational performance. An organization with a strong learning is not simply a collector of knowledge but also processes it and suitably uses it. WeiLing Ke and Kwok Kee Wei (2006) identified knowledge as the antecedent and the base of learning organization.

Performance parameters in case of higher educational institutes can be in numerous. Not all will be affected by knowledge management or at least not all of them will be affected by the same degree. As per Thomas (2007), there are three types of performance parameters:

Financial Performance,

Operational Performance and

Organizational effectiveness.

This paper proposes a conceptual study of knowledge management practices/processes as applicable to a higher educational institute; its transformation to a learning organization and identifying performance parameters positively affected by knowledge management.