Knowledge Management Systems Implementation Effects on University Students’ Academic Performance: The Socio-Technical Theory Perspective

Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) have been used to provide automated assistance to customers in different organizations from diverse sectors. In the context of higher educational institutions (HEIs) especially in universities, research indicates that KMS assist universities with quicker response time to key issues, share vital knowledge, improve job efficacy and production, facilitate effective decision-making procedures to accomplish efficiency, and thereby provide the required status of performance. However, there is dearth of literature regarding KMS effects on students’ academic performance. This study, therefore, assesses the implementation effects of KMS on the academic performance of university students under the lens of the socio-technical theory. Through non-proportionate stratified and convenience sampling techniques, 687 students from a public university in Ghana were sampled and analyzed via the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The results indicate that all the technical factors (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity) and social factors (system quality, information quality, awareness, and computer self-efficacy) influence system use. Also, system use influences user satisfaction. Additionally, user satisfaction influences academic performance. The findings of this study suggest that the implementation of KMS by the university has provided the students with the necessary gratification which has aided them in improving their academic performance. Other implications are also discussed.