PRESERVING ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE: A STUDY OF KNOWLEDGE RETENTION FROM RETIRING EXPERTS TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF EMPLOYEES WITH REFERENCE TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES) IN CHENNAI

The study concludes that knowledge retention is a critical requirement for higher educational institutions in Chennai because the retirement of senior faculty can lead to the loss of tacit knowledge, institutional memory, leadership experience, and professional networks. The institutions studied are already using several knowledge-retention practices, especially mentoring, coaching, and knowledge-sharing sessions, but these are still stronger at the interpersonal level than at the formal policy level.   The regression-related findings show that effective knowledge transfer is mainly driven by willingness to share knowledge, intergenerational trust, age-inclusive climate, communication frequency, and organisational support, while workload pressure reduces transfer effectiveness. This means that knowledge transfer improves when institutions create a trusting and supportive environment and give faculty enough time and space to share their experience before retirement.   The study also concludes that demographic differences matter in some areas but not others. Age and gender do not significantly shape perceptions of knowledge-retention challenges, but monthly income, educational qualification, and teaching experience do, suggesting that senior and more experienced faculty are more aware of the risks of knowledge loss and the need for structured preservation systems.   Overall, the findings show that universities and colleges should move beyond informal knowledge sharing and adopt stronger succession planning, systematic documentation, digital knowledge repositories, and formal mentoring frameworks to ensure continuity and sustainable academic development.

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