What is it about?

This study determines the preferable leadership practised by colleges’ directors, institutional factors and challenges encountered in knowledge sharing in Malaysian technical higher learning institutions (HLIs). Using a pragmatic mixed-method strand, we obtained 212 teachers and instructors’ viewpoints on knowledge sharing factors and barriers. The study also interviewed four teachers in exploring college directors’ leadership practices and issues faced while sharing their knowledge and experiences with their colleagues. The findings revealed that technical college teachers favoured enabling others to act as a preferable leadership practice that empirically supports their knowledge sharing practices. Thus, reward system and culture were antecedents and significant predictors for teachers’ knowledge sharing practices in technical HLIs compared with their colleges directors’ transformational leadership practices. Teachers also highlighted that their directors provide affirmative responses concerning the knowledge sharing activities; thus, practising their roles as a knowledge sharing catalysts. However, lack of support from the management, micro-politics and teachers’ own negative perceptions were identified as challenges and constraints teachers encountered while sharing their knowledge with their peers. The findings put forward some suggestions for improvement on technical college’s knowledge sharing practices.

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Why is it important?

It addresses technical college teacher training and development.

Perspectives

Mohammed Borhandden Musah is a senior lecturer in the Department of Da’wah and Islamic Management, Faculty of Leadership and Management, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Bandar Baru Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Email: mbmusaus@yahoo.com

Dr Mohammed Borhandden Musah
University of Bahrain

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This page is a summary of: Technical college teachers sharing their knowledge: does leadership, institutional factors or barriers predict their practices?, Educational Studies, September 2016, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/03055698.2016.1230046.
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