The relationship between leaders’ mastery of tacit knowledge management skills and the achievement of competitive advantage at universities

This study aimed to reveal the academic leaders’ mastery level in emerging Saudi universities of tacit knowledge management skills, and testing the relationship between mastery levels and achieving a competitive advantage. The study is based on the analytical descriptive approach, and the questionnaire is applied as a data collection tool on a random sample numbered 330 of teaching staff at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, the study population, totaling 2283. Findings showed that (a) the academic leaders’ mastery level of tacit knowledge management skills at university was high, (b) there was a positive relationship between mastery level and achieving a competitive advantage, and (c) there were no statistically significant differences about mastery level due to the variable effect (college type) or (academic rank) or (the nature of work), with statistically significant differences due to the variable effect (gender) in favor of males. Regarding achieving a competitive advantage, the study revealed that there were no statistically significant differences due to (college type) and (academic rank) variables, with statistically significant differences due to the variable effect (gender) in favor of males and the variable effect (the nature of work), in favor of contractors. The researcher recommended providing the current and the second class of leaders with tacit knowledge management skills and enacting a clear law to protect intellectual capital from strict restrictions by toxic, dictatorial, or bureaucratic leaderships and from the misuse of rigid systems of accountability or traditional control.