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Castaneda, D. Knowledge Sharing in Business Education. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/8483 (accessed on 07 July 2024).
Castaneda D. Knowledge Sharing in Business Education. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/8483. Accessed July 07, 2024.
Castaneda, Delio. "Knowledge Sharing in Business Education" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/8483 (accessed July 07, 2024).
Castaneda, D. (2021, April 06). Knowledge Sharing in Business Education. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/8483
Castaneda, Delio. "Knowledge Sharing in Business Education." Encyclopedia. Web. 06 April, 2021.
Knowledge Sharing in Business Education
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This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/su13073657

One of the findings is that knowledge sharing in business education is growing in virtual environments, especially in the last year, where the COVID 19 pandemic restricted the option of face-to-face education in classrooms. It is recommended that business schools decrease the percentage of time they spend in lectures and increase the time and strategies in which students share knowledge, discuss problems and make decisions based on collective reflection. 

knowledge sharing knowledge management business education

1. Introduction

Knowledge sharing is a process of knowledge management fundamental in the context of business education [1]. Knowledge management impacts business education through the mediation of the academic curriculum and the influence of the business environment [2]. Knowledge sharing is essential in the development of skills used in organizational environments—for example, teamwork [3], leadership [4], culture management [5], human resources practices [6], and sustainable innovation [7][8]. Knowledge sharing is also essential in the development of competences for business education. Some of the most relevant skills in business education that can be developed through knowledge sharing are problem-solving, creative thinking, teamwork, decision making, communication, negotiation, critical thinking, leadership, and creativity.

Knowledge sharing is defined as the process where individuals mutually exchange their tacit and explicit knowledge and jointly create new knowledge [9]. It is also the ability to transfer framed experiences, information, and expert insights into practices [10]. Knowledge sharing is the interaction between human actors where the raw material is knowledge [11]. This behavior is the act of making self-knowledge available to others. Knowledge sharing is critical for the creation and application of knowledge and solving complex problems. Sometimes, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer are used as interchangeable terms [12]. However, Chou and Tang [13] found that knowledge transfer emerged earlier and has a more general scope that covers multidisciplinary subjects, while knowledge sharing is more focused on the knowledge management context.

A blocker of knowledge sharing is knowledge hoarding, which is defined as an individual’s deliberate and strategic concealment of knowledge [14]. This occurs when a worker purposely keeps critical knowledge to him. According to Bilginoğlu [15], the knowledge hoarder fears that the more he shares, the more he gives power away. Hoarding knowledge is a common inclination of employees in organizations where competition is promoted [16]. It also happens when an employee perceives significant time pressure [17]. Knowledge hoarding is related to knowledge donation because when people hoard some unrequested knowledge, they avoid sharing what somebody else could take advantage of [18]. This behavior weakens performance at an interpersonal level [14].

In the context of education, knowledge sharing is the cornerstone of collaborative learning. According to Prince [19], knowledge exchange improves academic achievement, the quality of interpersonal interactions, and attitudes to work with others. Knowledge sharing should be part of the discourse within the business school community of higher education [20]. Bratianu et al. [21] propose that the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous business environmental compel a paradigm that shifts from knowledge transfer to business competence development. According to the authors, the objective of business education should be to prepare the actual students for future jobs and professional achievements.

There are recent studies that report the role of knowledge sharing in business education and its relevance in organizational contexts [22]. How to work collaboratively in groups is more important than ever because the amount of teamwork expected from employees and managers has increased in recent years [23]. A fundamental process in group work is knowledge sharing. Additionally, typical challenges with interdisciplinary projects are communication issues and knowledge sharing workloads [24].

Knowledge sharing is increasingly common in virtual environments. Online education research has studied the role of cooperative learning through discussion [25]. In this direction, it was found that incorporating a discussion forum on Facebook enhanced student economic exam scores [26]; additionally, Padlet, an interactive virtual wall, was an effective tool to share knowledge online in a finance course [27]. There is also evidence that knowledge sharing improves peer assessment [28].

Not all tools that involve knowledge sharing have been evaluated as irrefutably effective. Many studies show that the case method can develop collaborative skills in students [29]; however, another study found no significant correlation between text-based discussion forums and grades [30]. There is also evidence that the case method, an interactive tool, is as effective as the lecture method in respect of learning outcomes [31]. Coceiru, Katz and McDonald [32] explored management students’ interactions, comparing traditional classes and classrooms that they called organizations, where students worked in groups to create and manage an organization. Results indicated that the classroom as an organization involved students in a better cohesive network of interactions compared to traditional classes.

Business and nonbusiness students’ attitudes were compared regarding classroom knowledge sharing [33]. It was found that business students wanted more freedom over group functions and were more concerned with the equitable distribution of work.

Business classes frequently use designs that do not promote student interaction [34]. Some blockers of knowledge sharing in business education are teacher-centered habits, learners’ lack of openness and reciprocity, and competing priorities of students [35]. The constructivist theory of learning states that peer interaction is crucial in student development [36][37]. Peer learning provides a positive impact on overall learning [38]. Knowledge exchange and active participation promote academic achievement [39].

The literature focusing on the influence of knowledge management on business education is scarce [2]. After extensive research on the subject, it can be stated that this is the first systematic review about the topic of knowledge sharing in business education. Twenty-three years have passed since the publication of the first article on this area in the Scopus and Web of Science databases and it is pertinent to evaluate how the subject has evolved. The purpose of this paper is to present the evolution of knowledge sharing within the academic business education literature. The evolution is defined in terms of the number of publications by year, the most representative papers and authors by citations, the lifecycle stages and their characteristic topics, and the keywords map to visualize the most representative concepts.

There are related works such as bibliometric studies on knowledge management [40][41][42][43], bibliometric works on knowledge sharing [44], a review of knowledge sharing in education [45], and a review of knowledge sharing in higher education [46].

2. sharing in business education

In the research on knowledge sharing in business education, four stages were identified in the period 1997–2020, which were called: embryonic, emergent, young growth and high growth. The number of articles published has been increasing. The current period, high growth, so far includes 151 articles.

Concerning networks of authorship, the number is still low. Only two of them are considered significant. According to the analysis that was carried out, there are no large clusters of thematic axes on the subject of knowledge sharing in business education. In the embryonic stage, articles were published on the problems that business schools have with information flows, the generation of tools to teach knowledge management and the skills in knowledge management that a business student should develop.

In the emergent stage, there were no topics with a significant volume of articles. Some themes were: teaching knowledge management in business schools, active learning and knowledge sharing, the motivation of business students to transfer knowledge, barriers that inhibit knowledge management and the relevance of technology and innovation management education in business schools.

In the growth young stage, although no topic was a trend, there is a nascent interest in tools for knowledge sharing in business education. The main themes identified were knowledge sharing in social networks, knowledge management, transfer of knowledge in educational programs, the experience of companies with business schools about knowledge exchange, business schools and virtual learning, and communities of practice.

In the growth highest stage there is a marked interest in tools associated with knowledge sharing in business education. Some current topics are social capital and knowledge exchange, knowledge networks in business schools, knowledge transfer between business managers and students of these schools, skills associated with knowledge sharing, and knowledge sharing versus knowledge hiding in academic situations.

Based on the keyword analysis, the considered core words are knowledge management, knowledge transfer and knowledge exchange; the main emerging words are entrepreneurship education and problem-based learning; the principal declining words are human resource management and curriculum development; finally, the main growing words are higher education and e-learning.

In conclusion, knowledge sharing in business education is a rising research topic, where there are still no strong networks of researchers. Additionally, the identification of the best tools to share and build knowledge in the training process of business education students is under development. Finally, research on knowledge sharing as a means for generating innovations in the context of business schools is incipient.

From this study, further research is recommended on some topics: knowledge networks between students from different business schools, knowledge sharing between organizational managers and business students, innovative tools for sharing knowledge in times of the COVID 19 pandemic and the development of knowledge sharing competences in students applied to changing organizational contexts.

References

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