Knowledge Management in Times of Uncertainty: Barriers and Opportunities in Graduate Education

Abstract

In Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), graduate education is essential in the socialization, production, and transfer of knowledge and innovations for society. In this sense, graduate programs contribute to a knowledge society by training future researchers in collaboration with experts in a knowledge area, innovating in research with them, sharing these innovations through formal and informal practices, and ensuring learning through systematic reviews and discussions with research networks. These knowledge management (KM) dynamics can be hindered by a turbulent environment in which social, economic, political, and cultural demands call for changes to current KM practices. This paper examined two leading graduate research programs in the northwestern region of Mexico that underwent several changes in their institutional structures and scientific practices due to environmental shifts. We analyzed 1) the challenges faced by these programs from a public university in Mexico due to changes in policies, 2) how they managed to generate knowledge, and 3) what opportunities emerged during this period. Documentary analysis was conducted as a case study using a qualitative approach, which helped us conduct an in-depth analysis and understand the KM strategies adopted in both contexts. We sought participation from program directors and scholars who met certain leadership criteria. This study highlights that political change was both a barrier and an opportunity for knowledge production, as it imposed budget cuts on science but also introduced new perspectives that enabled wider impact in knowledge transfer. Nevertheless, the KM strategies that emerged from the pandemic, such as diversifying funding sources and adapting certain scientific practices, were solutions for advancing science, quality education, and research on social retribution.