Knowledge management in Higher Education : a comparison between individualistic and collectivist cultures

The research discusses the impact of national culture on the processes of knowledge management (KM) in Higher Education. In particular, it focuses on the extent to which teamwork approaches to IC development are favoured in individualistic and collectivist cultures.

The study was carried out in two phases. The first, aimed at generating emerging theory, involved interviews in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in an individualistic culture (UK). The second, aimed at testing emerging theory, utilised questionnaire responses from researchers in an individualistic (Australia) and collectivist society (Slovenia). The results revealed that, in the first phase, the absence of teamwork resulted in feelings of isolation and reduced research output. In the second, there was a statistically significant correlation between engagement in teamwork and membership of a collectivist society on the one hand, and engagement in teamwork and increased research output. This article shows the value of teamwork in facilitating KM, and the extent to which it is facilitated in a collectivist culture.