A Complex Systems Approach to Understanding Knowledge Management Dysfunction in Nigerian Universities

This study applies a complex systems approach to understanding knowledge management (KM) dysfunction in Nigerian universities, arguing that prevailing linear management frameworks are insufficient to account for the emergent, non-linear nature of KM failures in these institutions. Nigerian universities are complex adaptive systems in which KM outcomes emerge from the interaction of multiple subsystems including faculty culture, institutional policy, technology infrastructure, leadership behaviour, and external regulatory environments, interactions that conventional KM studies address insufficiently. The research employs a complexity science-informed mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase surveys 320 faculty members, administrative staff, and students in eight universities using validated KM health and dysfunction assessment instruments. The qualitative phase applies system dynamics modelling workshops with twenty-five expert participants to map KM dysfunction causal loops. Complexity Theory, the Cynefin Framework, and the Knowledge Management Systems Theory provide the theoretical architecture, with literature from 2019 to 2024 on KM in African higher education supporting the study. The study produces causal loop diagrams of KM dysfunction specific to Nigerian university contexts and derives intervention points where targeted policy action can produce system-wide improvements. Recommendations target the National Universities Commission and university senate committees on academic development. Keywords: complex systems, knowledge management, dysfunction, Nigerian universities, systems dynamics