The Impact of Knowledge Management on Strategic Decision-Making: A Field Study of Senior Leadership in Libyan Universities

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the impact of knowledge management practices on strategic decision-making in Libyan universities. It did so by analyzing the effects of knowledge management dimensions—namely knowledge acquisition, knowledge generation, knowledge storage, knowledge sharing, and knowledge application—on the process of strategic decision-making. The study employed the descriptive-analytical approach. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to senior leadership positions in Libyan public universities, including university presidents, vice presidents for academic affairs, and general secretaries. The study population consisted of 84 individuals, and 75 valid responses were obtained for statistical analysis.

Data analysis and hypothesis testing were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), employing multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicated that, overall, the level of availability of knowledge management dimensions in Libyan universities was high. The findings also revealed that the knowledge management dimensions, taken together, had a statistically significant effect on strategic decision-making, explaining 65.9% of the variance in strategic decision-making. Furthermore, the results showed that the knowledge application dimension was the only factor that had a positive and statistically significant independent effect on strategic decision-making, whereas knowledge acquisition, knowledge generation, knowledge storage, and knowledge sharing did not demonstrate statistically significant independent effects.