PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

This paper presents and analyses the outcomes of a study which attempted to look into the dynamics of educational processes prevailing in some of the private universities of the National Capital Region (NCR) of India and their Knowledge Management (KM) practices. The assumption that led to conceptualising and embarking on the present study is that the knowledge management practices assume a pivotal place in an institution if the institution has to succeed in its endeavours. The societies across the world today thrive in terms of science, technology and economy on the basis of how well its education system flourishes to boost its various dimensions of development, how well its knowledge management system grows in tune with its paradigmatic transformation processes. The phenomenon of knowledge management practice is not new in the context of the academic peripheries of educational institutions. The educational and institutional reforms have been a perpetual practice in our history of educational system, the root of which can be traced back to eighteenth century or even earlier. However, the last century of the pre-independence era and post independent India has witnessed some of the most important educational reforms at policy and implementation level. All such policy interventions have had meticulously structured knowledge management practices as their inbuilt mechanism to achieve the envisioned educational goals. However the attention that the concept of knowledge management practices has been able to draw from all corners of knowledge community now-a-days is relatively new. The social and human activities across the globe have become more knowledge centred. Therefore the organizations lagging behind in terms of identifying, valuing, creating and evolving their knowledge assets are more likely to become obsolete in comparison to their counterparts that are actively engaged in the process of churning out the nuances of knowledge management practices. The paper contends that for institutions, to keep in pace with the fast changing dynamics of the knowledge based society and economy, knowledge management practices are the most important strategies that the institutions need to adopt as soon as possible. Otherwise it would be very difficult to remain relevant in terms of a higher seat of learning in society.