Understanding the Dynamics of Knowledge Management Tools in Two Public Universities in Delhi, India

Introduction

The progress of a nation largely depends on its system of education, which in turn has the capacity to do justice to its clients (students) if it can make available the right knowledge at the right time and enable a person to take the right decision (Jain & Gupta, 2019). The foundation of modern society is knowledge and knowledge is used to acquire more knowledge (Sinha et al., 2012). The new age economies have realized this fact and massively investing in their future workforce using KM; using ICT as an enabler. The conventional approach for KM usually examines knowledge as a commodity, however, today it is viewed as shaping virtual communities through collaboration, expansion, communication and excelling through collective intelligence. Although knowledge is defined as a commodity or as the outcome; it should be complemented with a deeper understanding of social, technical, and organizational aspects of the context in which KM is to be employed (dePaula & Fischer, 2005). These aspects help in uncovering the opportunities and challenges in an organizational setting. In light of this, the author proposes to write a chapter focusing on two public universities in Delhi, India.

There has been a lot of stress on KM in the corporate world but the educational sector is not discussed as extensively in the discussion on KM. Also, the parameters for KM in universities are not similar to those of business organizations. However, education is subject to the same pressures as a business, it has to spur innovation, improve customer service and achieve operational excellence (Gupta & Jain, 2017). The need for research in the area of KM and its applicability in higher education is gaining popularity but there is a dearth of literature in this domain. To fill this gap, the author proposes to write a chapter entitled, “Understanding the Dynamics of Knowledge Management Tools in Two Public Universities in Delhi, India” keeping the interest of policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders in mind, while studying the subject of KM implementation in the public universities.

India enjoys a unique position, having one of the largest networks of HEIs in the world. About 50 percent of its population is under the age of 25 years and this demographic dividend is expected to peak by 2020 as per the economic survey of 2017 (Sethi, 2017). Using this demographic dividend optimally, with the catalyst of KM tools added on, India can create a niche for itself. A large number of tools are deemed to be effective in KM. The author has examined, evaluated and organized KM tools, with KM taxonomy and their applicability in a university setting in mind. The chapter offers an insight into the varying applicability of various ICT and KM tools to the educational sector, aimed at enhancing performance.

The objectives of the chapter are:

• 1.

  To familiarize the readers about the taxonomy of KM Tools and their relevance in a university. The organization of the tools are as follows:

  • a.

    KM tools for stimulating creativity, generating new ideas.

  • b.

    KM tools for learning and sharing lessons within groups.

  • c.

    KM tools for learning from experts.

  • d.

    KM tools for learning before, during and after a project/ initiative.

  • e.

    KM tools for developing and improving a shared practice or area of work.

  • f.

    KM tools for running effective in-person knowledge events.

  • g.

    KM tools for locating expertise and experts.

  • h.

    Strategical KM tools.

  • i.

    KM tools for organizational learning.

  • j.

    ICT tools acting as catalyst for KM tools.

• 2.

  To understand the role of public universities in the education of a country like India that has low per capita income and high density of youth.

• 3.

  To explain the application of KM and ICT tools in the university setting for the various stakeholders i.e. students, faculty and administration.

• 4.

  To assess the level of applicability of these KM and ICT tools in the above mentioned two public universities through surveys and interviews of different stakeholders. This includes the parameters in terms of depth, coverage, formality and receptivity.

• 5.

  To assess the level of fitness of these KM tools in formal and informal backgrounds, ICT enabled and people-centric KM tools for creating an ecosystem.

• 6.

  To highlight the importance and benefits of KM tools in these universities for unlocking untapped potential.