The Key Factors of Success in Implementation of KM2 in Education Organization of Mazandaran Province
Nabiallah Yoosefi Gorji ¹, Mansour Ismail Poor ², Alireza Islambolchi ³,Mohammad Reza Rabiee Mandejin4, Alireza Amirkabiri5
1. PhD Student, IT Management, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch
2. Associate Professor, Department of Computer, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch
3. Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch
4. Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch
5. Associate Professor, Department of Management, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch
The main objective of this survey is evaluation and identification of key factors in success of implementing Knowledge Management 2 or KM2 in general office of education in Mazandaran Province.
The Education Organization has a giant structure in Iran and has an important role in the society. Because of its canonical role and inherent policy in the development and changes of societies and also in training human resources for the country, research in this area can create very good advantages in the infrastructures and visions of knowledge. On the other hand, sharing and expansion of knowledge, in such big structural organizations, that have many internal and external customers, can be very useful in decision-making for critical problems. Hence, determination of key factors that are useful to implement KM2, helps us to reach the related goals of general education. This research was implemented in Education Organization in Mazandaran Province. At first, we prepare a standard questionnaire that has 3 key factors (management, technology and culture), 17 sub factors and 26 items. Then we study the relative importance of each item by the use of scientific methods and statistical tests and at the end, Compared with other researches.
Keywords: knowledge sharing, KM2, knowledge management, Mazandaran, education organization, learning organization
1. Introduction
In the present era, moving toward a learning organization is not a choice. Organizations that are in a state of changing environmental conditions need to survive and develop themselves, especially those with agile organizations such as education. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the education of children and adolescents (usually 5 to 18 years of age). In Iran, this ministry has been designated by the Ministry of Culture since 1964 and is responsible for the free education of all individuals in primary and secondary schools (Gholami, 2010).
Although much of the theory of the learning organization as a way to survive in the new era has passed, but there is still a lack of consensus among experts on how to implement it. Perhaps this is because of the nature of the organization's concept of learning. Hence, it is natural that the organization does not have the same path to reach it. In other words, for each organization to learn, one has to go along with its unique characteristics. Learning organization and knowledge management are closely interrelated (Anvari Rostami and Shahi 2009). In general, the concept of a learning organization is an organization that has the flexibility and ability to deal with any kind of environmental change with respect to the capabilities it has created as a knowledge base, and, as a whole, can integrate new issues to solve old problems with new methods (Zabihi and Hosseini, 1393).
Many theories about the implementation of a learning organization have been proposed by thinkers and management experts. Some focus on knowledge management approaches and others on organizational structural changes; some emphasize the importance of top management and some on organizational culture. However, the limiting factors of learning in an organization are more appropriate than the weakness of the instrument and technology, or the traditional organizational structure, or the content of a resilient culture or a lack of management commitment to its implementation, depending on the circumstances of each organization. (Rahman Seresht and Simar Asl, 1388).
One of the important issues considered in the learning organization is the discovery and sharing of knowledge of individuals and, in general, the utilization of the collective wisdom of the organization. During the years of knowledge management life, various tools and approaches have been proposed for its operation and have been implemented in organizations (Shafizadeh, 2007). Today, with the advent of a new generation of knowledge management (KM) and the advancement of technological tools such as Web 2.0, to facilitate its sharing operation, to explore case studies of knowledge management, organizations have concluded that implementation of these tools is a guarantee of partnership People are not in sharing knowledge and the strengths and weaknesses of the methods should be identified and followed up.
In Iran, the experiences gained from implementing a variety of knowledge management systems confirm the fact that tools, training, structural reform, etc., alone cannot solve the problems of the organization, both in terms of the organization of learning organization and in Eliminates other areas and should be "comprehensive" and effective solution to these problems in organizations.
2. Literature Review
Knowledge management is a new emerging phenomenon that identifies, acquires, and organizes information in order to generate knowledge in organizations. Increasing the amount of information in organizations and the need to use them effectively
Organizational decisions are the reason for the emergence of knowledge management. Knowledge management involves identifying and analyzing the existing knowledge and planning and controlling operations for its development in order to achieve organizational goals (Ghobadi Pour, 1393).
From Book whites and William (1999), knowledge management is a process by which the organization benefits from knowledge-based resources. On the other hand, Gupta et al. (2000) identified knowledge management as a process that assists the organization in identifying, selecting, distributing and transferring the information and expertise required for activities such as problem solving, dynamic learning, strategic planning, and decision making. Slowly from Yahya and Go's view (2002), knowledge management is the process by which organizations gain skills in the field of learning (internalization of knowledge), knowledge coding (knowledge outsourcing), and the distribution and transfer of knowledge. .
Simply, the purpose of knowledge management is to create, compile and modify individual knowledge into organizational knowledge. Knowledge management will help organizations (especially large organizations such as education and training) compete with the use of new knowledge to reduce costs and increase speed and meet customer requirements. Dauchos (2004) believes that knowledge management combines processes of management, control, creativity, Codification, dissemination, and exercise of power in the organization, and the main purpose of which is to ensure that the needy acquires the necessary knowledge of the organization in such a way that it is possible for him to make a timely and correct decision based on past experiences (Da Daewoo, 2004).
(Beykzad, 2017) studied the impact of organizational factors such as organizational culture, organizational structure, education, human resources, information and communication flows, information technology and transparency of documents on the performance of knowledge management and knowledge creation components, knowledge storage, knowledge utilization, And the transfer and sharing of knowledge in education. The results of this research indicated that organizational culture, education, and information technology variables have a significant positive effect on knowledge management performance. However, other variables, including human resources, have a significant positive effect on the knowledge creation function only in the component of knowledge creation, and other variables, although there is a positive correlation with the performance of knowledge management and its components, their effect is not statistically significant.
(Moghimi, 2015) examined the relationship between the sharing and organizational citizenship behavior of the education staff. The statistical population of this research was 387 employees of Mazandaran province educational staff. 172 persons of them were selected as sample. The findings show that the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and knowledge sharing is positive and significant. There was also a positive and significant relationship between the dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior and knowledge sharing.
(Chainierchi, 2017) In a research using Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) technique and fuzzy logic, the potential barriers to the implementation of KM in the Yazd province's education organization were identified and examined. According to the findings of this study, 23 factors have been identified as failures of knowledge management. According to FMEA results, factors such as "weakness in reward and incentive structure", "lack of budget", "organizational culture", "lack of proper implementation" and "lack of proper training of employees" are considered to be the most important potential failure factors. The failure of knowledge management in the Yazd education organization has been introduced.
(Hashemi, 2016) investigated the relationship between strategic HR Management and innovative performance with the knowledge management approach. The statistical population of the study was all the heads and managers of the educational organization of the Gilan province and the data collection tool was a questionnaire. Research findings showed that human resource management has an impact on organizational innovation, and also strategic human resource management has an impact on knowledge management, and knowledge management also has an impact on organizational innovation.
(Rahimi, 2017) studied the impact of knowledge management on empowerment considering the role of mediating organizational learning. The purpose of this research is applied and in terms of data collection method, descriptive-survey, and its statistical population is the staff of the Ministry of Education of the central province of 250 people. The findings of the data analysis showed that knowledge management has a direct impact on empowerment and organizational learning. The findings also showed that knowledge management has an indirect effect on empowerment through organizational learning.
3. Knowledge Sharing
Knowledge is the only known asset that grows when others share it, and its distribution and distribution contribute to its growth. Knowledge sharing is a key factor in the success of the organization, as it can lead to faster knowledge transfer to parts of the organization that can exploit it. Sharing knowledge helps to share ideas (Taghavi and Shafizadeh, 2009). Ideas have the greatest impact once they are widely used everywhere, rather than just a few. Mechanisms such as written, oral, objective, local visits and expeditionary activities, rotational programs, educational programs, and standardization programs to advance
Knowledge sharing among individuals and sectors of the organization can create significant educational and learning benefits for the organization and a powerful mechanism for improving organizational productivity that helps to survive the organization. Knowledge sharing involves the desire of individuals and groups in the organization to disseminate knowledge in order to achieve mutual benefit, and this sharing will not occur unless the employees and working groups of the organization have a high level of cooperative behavior.
A person who shares his or her knowledge must be aware of the purpose of the knowledge, its uses, and the requirements of the person receiving the information; otherwise, knowledge may be transferred to a person who does not need it, and which is used not to be.
3.1. Knowledge Management 2
Disclosure and sharing of knowledge are the main concerns of knowledge management. Throughout the years of knowledge management, various tools and approaches have been proposed to operate it. To address the issues involved in implementing knowledge management and, of course, with the advancement of its technological infrastructure such as Web 2, Knowledge Management 2 or Organic Knowledge Management, was introduced as a new generation of KM, seeking a more appropriate response to its main concern, which is the same "The transformation of organizational knowledge into tangible value."
The only way to rescue knowledge management is to adapt it to the growing trend of social networking, and so researchers and professionals have built the concept of knowledge management 2. In fact, what's important is the use of new tools and infrastructure to meet the goals of KM.What is known as KM is based on the concepts of Web 2 and Organization 2, and its focus is on social networking.
Table 1 examines the main differences between knowledge management 1 and knowledge management 2 with respect to the four main dimensions (knowledge, individuals, process and technology) (Khosravani, 1392).
Table 1. Comparison of traditional knowledge management with knowledge management
KM 2.0 KM 1.0
People/practice-oriented Knowledge-oriented Overall focus
• Epistemology of practice
• Process knowledge • Epistemology of possession
• Product knowledge Knowledge
Collective intelligence
Co-creators of knowledge
Community networks Individual (expert) intelligence
Users of knowledge
Channel networks People
• Sharing of practices
• Informal processes
• Bottom-up approach
• Less structured
• More transparent
• Decentralization • Transferring of “knowledge”
• Formal processes
• Top-down approach
• More structured
• Less transparent
• Centralization Processes
Web 2.0, Enterprise 2
Empowerment
Emergence structure
Flexible tools
Help and customizable with dynamic content
generated by your users
collaboration features IT, which can be embedded in other technologies KMS
Control
Imposed structure
Rigid tools
Passive with a static content
Produced by professionals
Dedicated technologies for KM Technology
3.2. Knowledge management 2 in Education Organization
In spite of the age of the KM concept, it is an important subject as a vital instrument in new successful organizations. Recently, the Iranian public education and the teachers, by the slogan of smart schools and classes, applied IT, established SMART schools, and organizational learning principles in order to create an efficient learning-teaching environment. Educational and administrative staff, financial resources, teachers, and class activities are determiners of the processes, visions and missions, and the practical learning methods. These cultures, andare useful types of knowledge that are potentially sharable and reusable, and this shares of knowledge was previously mentioned as KM2 (Mir Torabi, 2010).
KM can be very useful for encoding policies in public education. KM is an active process that should be distinguished from data and information. In Iranian public education systems we face lack of the knowledge in spite of large quantity of data and information, because the experience of persons didn’t register in related databases for next uses.
In recent years, organizations have tried to reengineer the structure according to the KM strategy and knowledge production for getting to work the intellectual capabilities. For learning organizations, it is very important to rapidly move toward continuous changes. Schools are the most important factors in social and educational changes. There are many differences in economic and educational organizations in goals, processes, cultures and stocks; therefore, the successfully applied models in industry cannot by exactly copied and applied in education, but the main core of knowledge in the educational organizations have to be considered separately[12].
Despite the specific attention paid to education, schools and the human resources working in Education Organization share their knowledge in a very small quantity. This could be because of structural reasons or because of norms (Norouzi Chegini, Hasanli and Meftahi, 2014).
There are a lot of giant technological and educational investments in Iran’s public education but In spite of the main goal of public education –that is learning and training- in Iran, personnel knowledge sharing is very little. The comprehensive schools portal called HAMGAM 4 is an important step toward this subject. The main goal of HAMGAM is preparing an infrastructure to provide quick access for all users in all levels of capability, and it is a fundamental project to reach KM2[2].
3.3. Existing models of effective factors on sharing knowledge
In the past, there has been much research in knowledge sharing, and each of the researchers presented a model for sharing knowledge, which we are going to explore each of them with a view to presenting a rational model. In a study conducted by Ghafouri and his colleagues to identify barriers to knowledge sharing in organizations, they identified barriers to knowledge sharing in three dimensions: individual potential barriers, potential organizational barriers, and potential technological barriers (Poursrajian, Fatima and Soltani Ali Abadi, 1392).
Organizational Culture
Culture is a model of the basic assumptions of a certain group which, while dealing with issues arising from adaptation to the environment and the integration of intrinsic factors, is invented, discovered or created, and behaved so well that it is valid and new to people as the proper way of perceiving, Thinking and feeling are taught in relation to those issues (Lin and Lee, 2004; Allah, Zahra and Hamed, 2008).
System and technology
Information and communication technologies are intrinsically powerful mechanisms in the transmission of information, which makes it possible for e-mail systems and other tools to spread the knowledge of the organization structurally throughout the organization. On the other hand, educational and administrative staff by means of electronic devices offer their ideas more free of expression and without fear of managerial responses (Henrik et al., 1999; Poursarjani and Wahdahi, 2009).
Strategies for Human Resource Management
Human resources are considered as an important asset in the organization and their optimal management results in more employee participation in the exchange of knowledge in the organization. Human resource management involves the identification, selection, recruitment, training and development of human resources in order to attain the goals of the organization (Bontis, 2001; Henrik, 1999; Poursarjian, 1392). The conceptual model derived from this research after the test has shown a significant relationship between factors and knowledge sharing in the research literature and is presented in Fig. 1. Relationship between factors together and also between factors with knowledge sharing, which were research hypotheses, were tested by SPSS software and Spearman correlation coefficient. The results of this study show that there is a significant relationship between them.
Figure 1. The model of key factors of success in sharing knowledge
This is a Descriptive case study implemented in education organization of the Mazandaran province in Iran by survey method to identify the most important factors to extraction of KM2. By the use of a group of samples selected randomly and by applying quantitative research method, this study compiles a framework to illustrate important solutions to establish sharing of knowledge. Following that, by the help of analysis made via inferential statistics and SPSS, correlation of the model elements was determined by Spearman correlation, and normality of the samples was determined by Kolmogorov Smirnov scale; and also by the use of Freidman’s nonparametric scale, ranking of the three-type criteria of the introduced model was carried out.
4.1. Statistical Population
This organization has 32 sub-offices, nearly 4,000 schools and 70,000 staffs (practitioner or retired). In this paper, 300 permanent and contractual clerks from central office in the city of Sari were selected as the statistical population. Number of sample population according to Morgan and Cochrane’s formula is at least 169 samples that has been observed (Dunlop and Tomean, 2000), and in the study, the used questionnaire had 5-point items of Likert scale.
Table 2. Demographic data of statistical samples
ISSUE Population (%) Sample (%)
Total
Number 300 171
Gender
Female 9.78 10.58
Male 90.22 89.42
Academic Degrees
Bachelor 42.33 47.12
Master 40.00 50.96
ETC 17.67 1.92
Level
Expert 58.67 68.27
Expert in Charge 19.33 20.19
ETC 22.00 11.54
Table 2 show the quantity of population and sample.
4.2. Validity and Reliability
Validity is a term that refers to the purpose the test is designed to accomplish. In other words, the test has a narrative that is appropriate for measuring what is desired. The test's validity is its efficiency to measure the attribute made to measure that attribute (Seif, 2011).
The most important factor to be taken into consideration in the evaluation of the test is the validity of the test. The meaning of the suitability test is that the meaning and usefulness of the particular inferences that are made on the test scores are meaningful. To confirm these inferences, it is necessary to gather evidence that is called the "test validation" in psychometric culture (Heidar Ali, 1996). To prove the validity of the research instruments, there are several ways in which content validity, formal validity, criterion validity (prerequisite and coincidence), and construct validity (convergent, divergent, and internal consistency and factor validity), and age differentiation, evolutionary change, Group differences. In this research, we have used a formal approach in which, instead of the test, attention is paid to the apparent characteristics of the test, and when it is established that the individual examines the test and concludes that the test will measure the desired attribute. This person may be a subject or an expert. Although this kind of validity is not a reliable measure of measurement, it is influenced by the student's motivation to respond to the validity of the test scores (Seif, 2011).
Reliability or reliability means that the measurements under the same conditions give the same results. In fact, we want to see how much the impression of the same questions has been. In other words, how much is the correlation between questions to each other. Cronbach's alpha coefficient is one of the most common methods for measuring the reliability or reliability of questionnaires (Dunlop & Tamegan, 2009). The Cronbach's alpha index is between zero and one, which is usually more than 0.7, and is closer to number 1, the internal consistency between the more inquiries and the resulting questions is homogeneous.As shown in Table 3, the content of the questionnaire was tried to be completely documented and reviewed by the experts.
As you can see in table 3, in order to have validity of the questionnaire, we try to document the items and have a column named “Source”. In addition to this, experts confirmed all of the items.
Table 3. Description of indexes and their sources in the questionnaire
Factors Indexes Index Description Source
Cultural Factors Competition There is a lot of competition between teachers which leads to limitation of sharing knowledge between them 5
Individual relationships There is no sufficient relationship between holders of knowledge and those who need it 1،2 و5
There is no friendly and desirable atmosphere in the workplace
Support there is no sufficient support of organizational culture for knowledge sharing activities like research activities or writing scientific article, etc. 5
Cooperation Doing group activities in the office for producing certain knowledge or sharing it is not considerable 4
Trust There is no enough trust in the skills of individuals and also in recording their experiences in the workplace 4
Integration There is no sufficient ability to follow up divided objectives efficiently and quickly (by the work teams) 1و2
Organizational atmosphere Existence of incorrect inspiration (negative atmosphere) about sharing knowledge 2
Learning-centered motivators Insufficient attention to learning encouragements including material reward which is important in development of learning and sharing knowledge 4
System and IT Factors Incompatibility and non-concurrence Incompatibility of IT systems with the existing procedures 5
Incompatibility of IT systems with the requirements of the staff 5
Technical support Inappropriate technical support of office equipment and lack of immediate repair of IT systems 5
Expectations Unreasonable expectations of the staff from IT systems 5
Education Lack of training the staff to work with new systems and procedures 1و5
Insufficient familiarity of staff with advantages of new IT systems compared to the existing systems
Level of access and use Access to IT systems or the existing data in education organization is very difficult 1،3و5
Insufficient intention of individuals in applying IT systems or practical use of the existing data in education organization due to inappropriate familiarity and lack of working experience with these systems
System and IT Factors
Management Management 1. There is no authority (or an organizational post) to announce benefits and values of sharing knowledge and following it up 2و5
Insufficient ability in absorbing capable staff in the workplace
Inappropriate allocation of human resources, impracticality of evaluation system, and mismatch of the staff performance with the expected activities
Education Lack of planning for training the staff in order to maintain flexibility and specifying a time for learning and training 2و5
Material support Insufficiency of Education Organization resources for creating appropriate opportunities, and facilitation of activities for sharing knowledge 1،2و5
Making insufficient use of financial rewards as an important motivating tool for sharing knowledge
Spiritual support Insufficient ability in maintaining outstanding and elite staff by providing desirable services for them 2و5
There has not been sufficient culturalization of sharing knowledge in the Education Organization
Lack of supports for conducting research activities to share knowledge in order to encourage individuals to do it
Questionnaire resource
1. Lin and Lee, 2004
2. Benitez, 2001
3. Khodaee, 2009
4. Henriks, 1999
5. Ehal et al, 2008
On the other hand, for reliability, we used Cronbach’s alpha that was 0.898. We know that a "high" value for alpha does not imply that the measure is one-dimensional.
4.3. Determining the effect of each question in overall reliability of the questionnaire
At this step, we tried to determine that whether we can have a better value for Cronbach’s alpha after removing an item. After implementation of this by SPSS application, we saw that by doing this, Cronbach’s alpha differs from 0.89 to 0.899. It means that we cannot have a better Cronbach’s alpha by deleting some indexes[8].
4.4. Determining normality of the sample
To select the right test for the analysis of the hypotheses, the statistical distribution of the variable to be tested first must be ensured. For example, parametric tests are the normality of the statistical distribution of variables. In general, parametric tests are generally based on mean and standard deviation. Now, if the distribution of society is not normal, there can be no inference of the results and nonparametric tests should be used. To test the statistical distribution of variables, tests are used. These tests are known as goodness of fit examinations (Segel, 1956).
The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test is one of the most important tests of goodness of fit, which determines the normal distribution of data. That is, it compares the distribution of an attribute in a sample with a distribution that is for the given society. If the data has a normal distribution, then there is a possibility of using the parametric test, otherwise we should use a nonparametric test (Dunlop & Tameen, 2000).
After analyzing the output of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the value of the "management" factor is less than 0.05; therefore, the distribution is not normal, and the nonparametric test should be used.
4.5. Correlation Analysis
In the questionnaire, questioners were asked to identify obstacles to implementing of KM 2 at the Mazandaran General Education Office. Since the purpose of the research is to determine the key factors for the success of KM implementation, so a lower rating indicates the need for more attention or the key factor of that factor.
In some studies, it is not possible to obtain distance data, or if it does, it does not have the necessary features. In such cases, the rank can be replaced by a raw number, although the rating data does not give us raw data information.
Whenever data is ranked, a Spearman ranking can be used. The correlation of two variables is important, and it is possible to control or predict one of these two variables. To measure this kind of correlation, various coefficients are used. One of them is Spearman correlation coefficient, which is one of the nonparametric methods. (Recovery, 1383, p. 145)
The zero assumption in this test assumes that there is no correlation. We show the rank correlation coefficient. The method for calculating the correlation coefficient for the pairwise data (Xi, Yj) for i = 1, 2, 3, …, k is to face the religion: First, we give all x values in terms of their values, and do the same for y’s. We then calculate the difference between the ranks of each pair represented by di. In the next step, we calculate the second power of d, finally we use the formula to calculate the correlation coefficient. (December, 2000, p. 270)
To test the hypothesis zero, the hypothesis that x and y are not correlated together and are randomly matched to these couples does not require a specific assumption of a sample population.
After performing the test, Spearman's coefficient between cultural and technological factors is 0.535, culture and management 0.448, management and technology 0.599, which all indicate the positive correlation between each of the three factors of the research at a significant level of 0.01.
4.6. Freidman Test
The Friedman test is a nonparametric test, equivalent to the analysis of variance with repetitive (intra-group) measurements, which is used to compare the mean of ratings among the k variables (groups) (Segel, 1956). Suppose we want to look at a sample of 10 people about 5 goods-that is, asking them to give each product a quality rating-then compare and review the average grades of goods; that is, if The difference in the scores of the goods is significant which goods have the highest score and which goods have earned the lowest score. In this case, you will encounter 5 variables that are statistically interrelated, because they are the sizes that are repeated by each instance. In the Friedman test, the H0 assumption is based on the fact that the rankings are the same among the groups. The rejection of the zero assumption means that at least two groups are significant in the groups (Dunlop & Tamegan, 2000; Segel, 1956).
In the questionnaire, questioners were asked to identify obstacles to implementing the implementation of KM 2 at the Mazandaran General Education Office. Since the purpose of the research is to determine the key factors for the success of KM implementation, so a lower rating indicates the need for more attention or the key factor of that factor.
5. Research Findings
In the output of Freidman test, the target sample of this study shows the statistic of square K with 170 degrees of freedom and also significance level of p-value as 0. It implies rejection of hypothesis 0. This means that the achieved differences between ranks are significant. Considering the above outputs, the final result is that the existing differences between the announced ideas for every item was different according to the repliers. On this basis, figure 2 shows the ranking of every item, index and factor. Studies show that the most significant factors in practicing KM2 in this organization are respectively cultural factors, IT and management factors (ranking is a lesser indicator to show significance of the factor).
Figure 2. Ranking of every item, index, and factor
The results also reveal that the repliers believe the staff did not have unreasonable expectations from the IT systems and there are mostly friendly and desirable atmospheres in their workplace. They also show that there is no considerable rivalry that might lead to limitation of sharing knowledge between them. Also the incorrect induction of ideas, referred to as negative atmosphere, has a lesser dominance compared to knowledge sharing. In addition, although access to IT systems and data bases in the education organization is not too difficult, the following cases need to be reinforced:
1. Creating solutions for keeping outstanding and elite staff by providing desirable services for them
2. Creating the required motivations by the use of financial rewards for sharing knowledge
3. Providing procedures for absorption of capable staff in the administrative environment
4. Holding effective educational courses for the staff about the new systems and processes
5. Sufficient culturalization about advantages of knowledge in education
6. Conclusion
As it was explained, the objective of this article has been forming a comprehensive perspective about key factors of success in sharing knowledge and proper identification of its facilitators in the whole Education Organization in Mazandaran Province. Initially, by the use of research literature and the ideas of experts, a three-factor model based on table 3 was determined: about the areas of culture, IT, and management procedures. Then, 26 key indexes (items) were designed in the form of 17 main subcategories effective on the procedure of sharing knowledge. The reliability of the questionnaire, according to the Cronbach’s alpha, was in an acceptable level (0.898), and its validity also was reviewed and corrected by the experts and finally measured and approved. Because of abnormality of the sample, Spearman nonparametric test was used to determine the level of correlation of the applied factors the results of which are mentioned in the figure below:
As it is observed in this figure, the level of relation of the management and IT variables to each other is more than the level of relation between variables of culture and IT, and eventually, this relation is 0.448 between cultural and management factors. In all three relations, the amount of this correlation is positive which shows direct relationship of factors with each other and indicates this point that correlation between IT-management and culture-IT in the Education Organization of Mazandaran Province is quite strong.
Figure 3. Correlation coefficients between factors (determined by Pearson’s test)
Also study of the correctness of relationships between main factors and the weight (priority) of every mentioned minor factor in the stated three areas in Mazandaran Province shows that respectively, cultural factors, system and IT solutions, and management factors have the most influence on sharing knowledge.
Also according to this study, the most influential indexes for sharing knowledge in every one of the three groups of cultural factors, system and IT, as well as management solutions are respectively empowering communication and inter-organizational competition, omission of unreasonable expectations from technology, and creation of independent organizational post for the required coordination in order to practice sharing knowledge in the office. In addition to that, in every one of the above areas, the index of learning-centered motivation from the cultural solutions aspect, the index of education from the system and IT aspect, and finally materialistic and intellectual supports from the management aspect will proportionally have the least effect on successful practice of the process of sharing knowledge. The mentioned results are the achievements of analyzing reliable and valid questionnaire data, through Freidman test and by the use of SPSS.
At last, it has to be mentioned that development of concepts and results achieved through conducting such a survey is suggested to be carried out in the collection of offices of Mazandaran Province Education Organization, the collection of schools in the province and in the nation-wide level. It should be considered that Education Organization is a huge organization and research findings in the official and educational levels could differ from each other.