Critical factors of implementing knowledge management in school environment: A qualitative study in Hong Kong

This study presents results and findings from a qualitative study on the application of knowledge management in schools of Hong Kong. The aim of the study was to find out whether knowledge management could be implemented successfully in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong and what problems were encountered. This study will explain and discuss in detail why particular factors are important to the educational knowledge management practices and also suggest some ways to overcome the encountered barriers to knowledge management in schools. Today, knowledge management systems have been widely implemented in organizations like enterprises, government departments and universities, yet the application of knowledge management in the primary and secondary education sector is not yet popular. A total of 65 teachers from 23 schools were invited for interview. It was found that leadership and change management, strategy and goal, organizational learning, technical support, school culture and trust among teachers are the critical factors affecting knowledge management in school contexts. This study concluded that successful knowledge management in a school involves different aspects such as accessibility of information technology, strong leadership, cultural influences, organizational structure and human characteristics (e.g., trust, learning behaviours and habits).