Knowledge management as a determinant of innovation capacity in higher education institutions

Abstract

Introduction. Knowledge represents the most important intangible asset of organizations to drive innovation and competitive advantage. Knowledge management translates into greater efficiency in the use of resources, better productive performance and optimal innovative processes. Objective. The purpose of the research is to analyze the relationship observed between knowledge management and the capacity for innovation in higher education institutions. The central hypothesis is that knowledge management is positively related to innovation capacity. Method. A descriptive, explanatory and confirmatory quantitative investigation was developed. Once the research problem was established and the knowledge generation and innovation variables were theoretically based, we proceeded to analyze the relationship between both constructs. Descriptive, exploratory factorial and confirmatory statistical analysis tools were used. Structural equation analysis was applied for modeling and hypothesis testing. The universe of study is 77 higher education institutions in the southeast of Mexico, where 8,603 people work. The sample size is 441 workers, and it was determined by probabilistic cluster sampling, assuming a sampling error of 5%, confidence level of 95% and variance of p = .50, q = .50. The field information was obtained by applying a structured questionnaire of 88 items on the Likert scale, which was designed based on the research objectives and other instruments used in similar studies, identified during the literature review. The applied questionnaire consists of three sections. In the first, information is requested on the sociodemographic profile of the interviewees. In the second, the scale for measuring the structural capacity for knowledge management is established, based on the constructs of structure, culture, human resources and technology. Finally, the third section is aimed at identifying the innovation capacity present in higher education institutions. Results. It was found that among the analyzed variables there is a correlation coefficient of 0.921; an estimated relationship of (1,267) and a standardized relationship of (.96), and a p value (0.000), which provides evidence of the presence of a positive relationship between both constructs. Conclusions. Knowledge management positively influences the capacity for innovation in the higher-level educational institutions studied, thus confirming the hypothesis raised.