The Internal and External Factors Influencing the Higher Institutions of Education (Hie) and Knowledge Transfer Program in Malaysia

Abstract

Knowledge management is a fundamental requirement for continuous survival of an organisation. An effective knowledge transfer process can contribute to business and economic development and to sustaining the nation well-being. The knowledge transfer programme agenda is believed to be one of the successful initiatives by the Malaysian government in bridging the gap between higher education institutions, industries, and communities. The involvement of all parties – the government, universities, industries, and communities has played significant roles in developing the country economy. The New Economy Model has inspired the Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia to embark on   Knowledge Transfer Programme (KTP). Since the inception of KTP in 2010, the collaborations between the Malaysian local universities, industries and communities continue to flourish. There were 460 KT projects implemented in Malaysia by all the 20 public universities. This Study was conducted with the vision to identify the key factors for knowledge transfer projects’ implementation. The study has outlined Higher Institutions of Education (HIE) Capacity Capability, Academia Capability, Graduate Interns Capability, KT Partner Organisation Capability, Relational Elements, Technology Augmentation, External Factor and Knowledge Transfer Mechanism as the main factors affecting the KT project performance. Findings of this study has confirmed Academia Capability, Higher Institutions of Education (HIE) Capacity, KT Partner Organisation and External Factor to have positive and significant relationships with KT project performance. These findings imply enriching human capital values of academia, students and employees; and strengthening organisational role and support system (both HIE and KT Partners) are necessary in ensuring the success of a KTP project. The study has also suggested the importance for both academia and KT project partners to understand the various mechanisms that can be adopted in transferring the knowledge.