Knowledge waste at the center of discussions in higher education institutions: a quantitative analysis

This paper assesses the level of knowledge waste in HEIs. The theoretical outline of this work was guided by the knowledge waste scale validated by Klein et al. (2023), divided into four categories: explicit knowledge waste, tacit knowledge retention, overspecialization, and underutilized talent. Survey-type quantitative research was carried out through the application of a questionnaire. The target population of this study is the employees of HEIs. A sample of 837 responses was obtained. Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics, applying t and ANOVA tests. The results highlight higher averages for the four categories of knowledge waste in public HEIs. It was found that the administrative technicians had higher averages in terms of overspecialization waste and underutilized talent.