Knowledge Sharing: A New Approach to Knowledge Management in Business Education Programme in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examined the importance of knowledge sharing among business educators in Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to explore knowledge sharing methods and ways of improving knowledge sharing in business education programme. The paper viewed the extent to which business educators are involved in knowledge sharing for their educational activities. This is because knowledge sharing will assist business educators to keep abreast with current and relevant information particularly in their chosen professions. One of the challenges most business educators are facing is how to share knowledge with one another. Most senior and experienced business educators believe that sharing of knowledge will make them irrelevant in the system and some are not conversant with social media therefore, do not see the need for knowledge sharing. The implication of this is that the exit of these senior and experienced business educators from the institution due to transfer of service, retirements, ill health or death are likely tol create loss of memory that may affect the institution and business educators in particular. To this end, knowledge must be updated and shared continuously to improve performance and productivity in business education programme. Business educators must take advantage in exploring various methods of sharing knowledge on social media and the internet. The institutions must make deliberate efforts to capture the intellectual properties of their lecturers before they exit from the system to prevent loss of memory and to make it available when needed. It is against this background that this paper examines various methods of sharing knowledge, ways to cultivate knowledge sharing culture, dangers of hording knowledge, ways of improving knowledge sharing in business education and barriers to knowledge sharing in business education. The paper therefore recommends thatuniversity management should drive the need for business educators to embrace ICT for knowledge sharing and experienced business educators should be encouraged to publish their research findings in the institution and departmental repositories, among others.