Storytelling as a Knowledge Strategy in Higher Education Institutions

Intellectual capital is usually described as being based on three dimensions, namely: human capital, structural capital and relational capital. The first and the last component have a critical role in the processes of knowledge creation, acquisition and sharing. Human capital defines employees' knowledge, abilities, skills and competences and it is the only one capable of transforming all the other organizational resources and generating innovation and strategic renovation while relational capital includes the relationships hold by a firm with its stakeholders. The second element - structural capital - is fundamental for knowledge codification and sharing due to the fact that it incorporates the organizational procedures and routines. Each of these intellectual capital components facilitates the development and implementation of knowledge strategies. From the variety of knowledge strategy typologies (formal and informal strategies, storytelling, mentoring, team work etc.), storytelling seems to be a fruitful choice for the higher education institutions. It involves sharing cognitive, emotional and spiritual knowledge; it appears as a natural human necessity; it is easy to implement and support; it is free of charge. Starting from these assumptions, our paper aims to analyze how storytelling is used in Romanian higher education institutions at the teaching staff level. In this front, we developed an exploratory research based on a qualitative approach and on a multiple case study strategy. Thus, we conducted a series of interviews with 29 members from Romanian Management colleges in order to determine the types of stories that are frequently shared in the higher education institutions and also the reasons that lie behind their use. The findings of this research have both theoretical and practical implications. On the one hand, we extend the theory in the knowledge management field by emphasizing the type of stories that are used in the academic environment. On the other hand, we bring forward the shared knowledge primacy, underscoring its rationale and grounds.