Strategic alignment in universities and its role in the successful implementation of knowledge management in academic libraries

Strategic alignment in organizations such as universities can be seen at three levels regarding their main strategy, functional strategies (such as knowledge management strategy) and operational strategies (such as knowledge management subsystem strategy) is known as a factor for successful implementation of knowledge management in libraries. The purpose of this research was to determine the level of strategic alignment in five Iranian universities and to evaluate the effect of strategic alignment on the implementation of knowledge management in their central libraries. An explanatory-descriptive method was conducted. The statistical sample consisted of 5 Iranian comprehensive universities and their central libraries (i.e., University of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti University, Shiraz University, University of Sistan and Baluchestan and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad). Semi-structured interviews, three questionnaires and a checklist were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The results showed that there was a lack of total external alignment in three universities and average total external alignment in two universities. From the total internal alignment aspect, there was lack of alignment in three, medium alignment in one and strong alignment in one university. Moreover, the results indicated that there was a relatively strong direct relationship between the total external alignment of strategies and knowledge management implementation. Also there was a strong direct relationship between total internal alignment of strategies and knowledge management implementation.