EMPIRICAL EXPLORATION OF PREFERRED COLLABORATIVE KNOWLEDGE-SHARING PRACTICES IN INDIAN PRIVATE ACADEMIA Sushmita Goswami*, Brijesh Kishore Goswami** *Assistant Professor, Department of Management, IBM, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. Email: sushmita60485@gmail.com **Assistant Professor, Department of Management, IBM, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. Abstract The purpose of this study is to empirically explore the best performance indicator pair of collaborative knowledge sharing practices which are segregated on the basis of gender and which are more concerned with organizational effectiveness. These performance indicators are Work culture, Interaction, Willingness to share, Recognition and Information technology. Methodology/approach/design - This research used a sample of 206 management and technical academicians employed in private technical colleges and universities in NCR (National Capital Region) with the help of simple random sampling. Almost 68% of the respondents were males and 32% of respondents were females with an average tenure of 5.25 years in the present organization. Simple t-test and Levene’s test were used to identify variance and paired Z test was used to fnd the best performance indicator between the male and female academicians which encouraged collaborative knowledge sharing among them. Findings - From the analysis, it was observed that out of the fve performance indicators, male academicians believed that Recognition indicator was the most appropriate, i.e., they believed that academic institute should symbolically recognize, i.e., either through their websites or various media platforms those academicians who signifcantly contribute towards collaborative knowledge sharing. In the case of female academicians, Interaction performance indicator was the most signifcant implying that open and healthy work culture supported a healthy Interaction among the colleagues which promoted innovative ideas for enhancing organizational learning. Research implications/limitations - The fndings were based on data from one country’s specifc region. Further exploration of the impact of these performance indicators can be assessed in other set-ups for better understanding. Practical implications - Utilization of knowledge gained through various collaborative knowledge sharing practices can be fruitfully used for increasing organizational effectiveness, which are refected by the given performance indicators. Originality/value - In this study, the author tried to bring an original empirical work for better understanding and valuable help to the body of knowledge, which can be further benefcial for organizational effectiveness. Keywords: Collaborative Knowledge Sharing, Work Culture, Interaction, Willingness to Share, Information Technology, Recognition Introduction The most unique yet intangible property possessed by humans is knowledge. In contrast to other capitals like land, labour or capital, knowledge increases infnitely with more and more usage (Dodgson, 1993). In the twenty- frst century, knowledge is being considered to be primary production resource instead of capital and labour and managing knowledge resource is the main focus of modern organizations. Knowledge that is not well managed and shared corrodes easily. The tacit knowledge present in the people’s minds which they have collected over time must be shared. Among other processes of knowledge management, knowledge sharing has been identifed as the most vital one (Witherspoon et al., 2013). For attaining organizational success, knowledge sharing is considered to play a vital role. Collaborative knowledge-sharing practices are built within organization - from communication and leadership perspective rather than from a technological perspective. In this, participants have opportunities to network and receive feedback on current practices, and the participant is highly encouraged to share and test different ideas. Participants discussed the types and uses of collaboration, how to overcome the obstacles and capitalize on collaboration opportunities, and how to foster a collaborative culture. They also asked to develop a collaboration plan for their organization and to execute this plan to the greatest extent possible. Several factors affect knowledge-sharing behaviour which includes personal attributes of the knowledge-sharing individual, organizational and group characteristics, etc. Many studies have suggested numerous antecedents to International Journal of Knowledge Management and Practices Submitted: 19 December, 2018 7 (2) 2019, 11-16 Revised: 31 May, 2019 http://publishingindia.com/ijkmp/ Accepted: 06 June, 2019