Facing the knowledge crisis in New Zealand : can knowledge management principles be applied in a New Zealand university setting

Abstract

The adoption of knowledge management principles in an organisation ensures the relevance of that enterprise in a knowledge-based economy. As nations embrace the concept of knowledge-based economies so organisations need to embrace the complementary principle of knowledge management for the organisation (Neef, 1999). Neef writes that knowledge management could be viewed as one of the most concrete and important set of practices and policies that an organisation can adopt. Embracing these practices and policies marks a significant step in an enterprise's evolution toward a global, learning organisation so that it can survive in the new knowledge-based economies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether adopting these practices and policies are relevant for, and applicable to, the New Zealand University setting. This paper will explore the possibility that applying knowledge management principles might be part of an institutional response to change in the tertiary sector.