Knowledge management and knowledge creation in academia: a study based on surveys in a Japanese research university

Purpose This study aims to pose one major research question, i.e. why and how to use knowledge management methods in order to enhance knowledge creation in academia – at universities and research institutes? Design/methodology/approach The paper defines KM in academia as any systematic activity related to support and enhancement of the creation of scientific knowledge and achievement of research goals, including both social process and relevant computer technology tools. Two surveys and case studies were carried out to achieve the research purpose at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST). The first survey focused on knowledge management in academia and investigated the current KM situations, special and diverse requirements from researchers. The second survey concentrated on supporting the creative processes of academic research and investigated which aspects of knowledge creation processes should be supported in particular. Based on survey findings, the practical solutions are further presented aimed to improve the creative environment for scientific knowledge creation. Findings The findings from the first survey showed that the KM obstacles reflected on various aspects: technological support, the people involved in creation activities, laboratory cultural, and so on. The seven most critical questions and three most important questions were evaluated by responders with respect to academic knowledge creation process in the second survey. Research limitations/implications The study advances the belief that knowledge management (KM) is applicable not only in industrial and market organizations, but also in academia. Practical implications With respect to the survey results, it is suggested that a creative environment in academia should be enhanced from both “soft” and “hard” aspects under the guidelines of a systems thinking framework for KM in scientific labs. From the soft side, by using personalization strategies, a knowledge‐sharing culture has to be built in labs to facilitate scientific communication, debate and team work. From the hard side, by using technology strategies, a practical example is presented in JAIST concerning the implementation of the hard aspect of creative environment. It is hoped that the research can launch further debate and prompt practical steps to help research institutes or universities improve their management and increase the research efficiency. Originality/value An essential point is that the study is based on the feedback from knowledge creators in a typical knowledge creation organization, which makes the analyses and conclusions more comprehensive and persuasive from both the theoretical and practical points of view. The research not only explores some hidden or tacit problems existing in academic knowledge management and scientific knowledge creation, but also proposes solutions for scientific knowledge creation that were found to be valuable by university management.