An Examination of Knowledge Sharing in Iranian Schools: Lived Experiences of High School Principals

This qualitative study aims to investigate the knowledge sharing in Iranian schools. It is based on phenomenological approach. A total of 20 high school principals in Tehran were purposefully interviewed to the point of theoretical saturation. The data were analyzed without subjective manipulation. The data were analyzed through coding the content of the interviews via three stages of open, axial and selective coding. Finally, 10 open codes and axial codes including four categories (facilitating the use of knowledge organized by employees, submitting scheduled reports to stakeholders, having data warehouses and various forms for publication of knowledge, having numerous conferences, lectures and meetings in the field of publishing) were extracted. Each of these codes is an indicator and is thoroughly discussed in detail in the present study. The findings suggest that in order to achieve knowledge sharing, individuals who share their knowledge should be classified in different units in the organization and use changing techniques to achieve the desired goals. It must be remembered that culture will be transmitted in the structure of organization.