Multivariate determination of the relationship between knowledge sharing and knowledge absorptive capacity with academic quality improvement from the viewpoints of faculty members at selected Isfahan universities

Universities and higher education centers, as the most important knowledge-based organizations, can improve their academic quality by achieving two important capabilities: knowledge sharing and knowledge absorptive capacity. The purpose of this research was to examine the multivariate determination of the relationship between knowledge sharing and knowledge absorptive capacity with academic quality improvement from faculty members points of view in selected Isfahan universities. The research method was descriptive and correlational type. The statistical population consisted of 1472 faculty members from which a sample size of 177 individuals was chosen through stratified random sampling. Based on Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP), research instruments included Knowledge Sharing Questionnaire, Knowledge Absorptive Capacity Questionnaire and Academic Quality Improvement. The questionnaires validity was confirmed through content face and construct validity and their Cronbach alpha coefficients were estimated 0.87, 0.88 and 0.95 respectively. The analysis of data was performed through descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics (Pearson Correlation Coefficient, and Structural Equation Modeling). The findings revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between knowledge sharing and knowledge absorptive capacity with academic quality improvement. Also there is a positive and significant relationship between knowledge sharing components and knowledge absorptive capacity components with academic quality improvement components. The examination of the findings through Structural Equation Modeling indicated that knowledge sharing had a significant and positive effect on knowledge absorptive capacity. Also knowledge absorptive capacity had a significant and positive effect on academic quality improvement, while knowledge sharing does not affect academic quality improvement directly.