SECI Model in Technical Education and Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Review of Knowledge Creation Enablers

Bonita Destiana; Mochamad Bruri  Triyono

doi:10.62775/edukasia.v7i1.2115

Authors

Bonita Destiana Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0302-7738
Mochamad Bruri Triyono Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62775/edukasia.v7i1.2115

Keywords:

SECI model, knowledge conversion, innovation capability, tacit and explicit knowledge, knowledge management

Abstract

This paper is a systematic literature review of the SECI model in technical education, entrepreneurship and organizational settings. Although the SECI model has been widely applied to explain knowledge creation, prior studies have predominantly emphasized its structural, procedural, and technological extensions, while giving less attention to the relational and motivational factors that shape knowledge-sharing processes. Using PRISMA guidelines, Scopus-indexed empirical studies published between 2016 and 2025 were systematically identified, screened, and selected based on their explicit application of SECI and their relevance to innovation, learning or performance outcomes. A total of 21 studies were synthesized into four themes: (1) the role of SECI in competency development in technical education, (2) the application of SECI in entrepreneurial and product innovation contexts, (3) relational, psychological, and cultural enablers of knowledge creation, and (4) the adaptation and evolution of the SECI model. The findings indicate that SECI supports competency development, innovation processes, and organizational performance. Furthermore, its effectiveness is strongly influenced by relational and motivational factors such as trust, intrinsic motivation, and interpersonal interaction. This review offers an integrative conceptual understanding of SECI that foregrounds relational and motivational factors as foundational conditions for effective knowledge creation in technical education and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Albishri, N., Mehrotra, A., Galgotia, D., Cuomo, M. T., & Romano, M. (2025). Developing knowledge in digital workplaces: a sociomaterial-SECI integrative framework. Journal of Knowledge Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2025-0306

Anshari, M., & Hamdan, M. (2022). Understanding knowledge management and upskilling in Fourth Industrial Revolution: transformational shift and SECI model. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 52(3), 373–393. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-09-2021-0203

Arantes, L. S., Junior, O. M., de Oliveira Costa Viegas, T., & Rohenkoh, J. E. (2021). Maturity and level of knowledge management in the company: An application of Nonaka and Takeuchi model and Fuzzy Logic. Gestao e Producao, 28(2). https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9649-2020V28E5305

Asbari, M., & Asbari, D. A. F. (2025). The Dynamics of Student Knowledge Creation through SECI: A Qualitative Exploration in the Indonesian Context. Indonesian Journal of Management and Economic Research (IJOMER), 2(01), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.70508/ep7egr71

Astorga-Vargas, M. A., Flores-Rios, B. L., Licea-Sandoval, G., & Gonzalez-Navarro, F. F. (2017). Explicit and tacit knowledge conversion effects, in software engineering undergraduate students. Knowledge Management Research and Practice, 15(3), 336–345. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41275-017-0065-7

Baldé, M., Ferreira, A. I., & Maynard, T. (2018). SECI driven creativity: the role of team trust and intrinsic motivation. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(8), 1688–1711. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-06-2017-0241

Bandera, C., Keshtkar, F., Bartolacci, M. R., Neerudu, S., & Passerini, K. (2017). Knowledge management and the entrepreneur: Insights from Ikujiro Nonaka’s Dynamic Knowledge Creation model (SECI). International Journal of Innovation Studies, 1(3), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijis.2017.10.005

Bello, I., Ahmad, M., Mohd Nadzir, M., Ali Dhahi Al-amrani, K., & Abdullahi, U. (2025). Investigating Knowledge Transfer Practices: Insights from Software Development Project Managers. Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 23(2), 41–60. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejkm.23.2.3783

Canonico, P., De Nito, E., Esposito, V., Pezzillo Iacono, M., & Consiglio, S. (2020). Knowledge creation in the automotive industry: Analysing obeya-oriented practices using the SECI model. Journal of Business Research, 112(June), 450–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.047

Cerchione, R., Centobelli, P., Borin, E., Usai, A., & Oropallo, E. (2024a). The WISED knowledge-creating company: rethinking SECI model in light of the digital transition. Journal of Knowledge Management, 28(10), 2997–3022. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-02-2024-0133

Cerchione, R., Centobelli, P., Borin, E., Usai, A., & Oropallo, E. (2024b). The WISED Knowledge-Creating Company: Rethinking SECI Model in Light of the Digital Transition. Journal of Knowledge Management, 28(10), 2997–3022. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-02-2024-0133

Chadegani, A. A., Salehi, H., Yunus, M. M., Farhadi, H., Fooladi, M., Farhadi, M., & Ebrahim, N. A. (2013). A Comparison between Two Main Academic Literature Collections: Web of Science and Scopus Databases. Asian Social Science, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v9n5p18

Chang, C., Sawaguchi, M., & Mori, Y. (2025). Knowledge Management Application for Small and Medium-Sized Service-Oriented Enterprises Based on the SECI Model. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2025.0160308

Chin, T., Wang, S., & Rowley, C. (2021). Polychronic knowledge creation in cross-border business models: a sea-like heuristic metaphor. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-04-2020-0244

Chootongchai, S., & Songkram, N. (2018). Design and development of SECI and moodle online learning systems to enhance thinking and innovation skills for higher education learners. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 13(3), 154–172. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i03.7991

Dobrovolska, O., Sonntag, R., Buschendorf, S., Klimova, E., & Ortmanns, W. (2023). Knowledge creation, knowledge impact and knowledge diffusion: how do they connect with higher education? Knowledge and Performance Management, 7(1), 91–103. https://doi.org/10.21511/kpm.07(1).2023.07

Farnese, M. L., Barbieri, B., Chirumbolo, A., & Patriotta, G. (2019). Managing Knowledge in Organizations: A Nonaka’s SECI Model Operationalization. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02730

Gubbins, C., & Dooley, L. (2021). Delineating the Tacit Knowledge‐seeking Phase of Knowledge Sharing: The Influence of Relational Social Capital Components. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 32(3), 319–348. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21423

Guzik, A., Lis, A. M., & Chodnicki, M. (2025). Effective Knowledge Creation and Transfer in E-Learning Using SECI Model. European Conference on Knowledge Management, 26(1), 379–387. https://doi.org/10.34190/eckm.26.1.3621

Hameed, K., Abbas, Z., & Sajid Nadeem, M. (2024). Impact of the SECI Entrepreneurial Development Model on Entrepreneurial Activities: Unleashing Entrepreneurial Knowledge Creation Potential. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 13(2), 751–766. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2024.13.2.60

Herlina, H., & Wahira, W. (2024). Creating a Sustainable Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Through Innovation in Education. International Journal of Engineering, Science and Information Technology, 4(4), 225–229. https://doi.org/10.52088/ijesty.v4i4.647

Ibidunni, A. S., Ibidunni, O. M., Akinbola, O. A., Olokundun, M. A., & Ogunnaike, O. O. (2021). Conceptualizing a teacher–student knowledge exchange perspective: exploring the tripartite relationships between SECI theory, LMX theory and HEIs’ students’ preparedness for the workplace. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 11(2), 330–348. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-02-2020-0029

Jghamou, A., Maziri, A., Mallil, E. H., & Echaabi, J. (2022). SECI Model Combined with ISO 9001 2015 to Support Organizational KM for Manual Assembly Manufacturing Operations. International Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.4018/IJKM.305226

Laptev, G., & Shaytan, D. (2023). Knowledge transferring and conversion in the early stage of collaborative product design by entrepreneurial teams. Measuring Business Excellence, 27(2), 291–306. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-02-2022-0028

Leal, M., Leal, C., & Silva, R. (2023). Innovative Behavior in Startups: An Empirical Study. Administrative Sciences, 13(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13120256

Liu, C. (2024a). The application of AI and product innovation efficiency: the role of knowledge innovation under SECI model. Aslib Journal of Information Management, December. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-04-2024-0348

Liu, C. (2024b). The application of AI and product innovation efficiency: the role of knowledge innovation under SECI model. Aslib Journal of Information Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-04-2024-0348

Lv, M., Zhang, H., Georgescu, P., Li, T., & Zhang, B. (2022). Improving Education for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Chinese Technical Universities: A Quest for Building a Sustainable Framework. Sustainability, 14(2), 595. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020595

Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The Knowledge-Creating Company. Oxford University PressNew York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195092691.001.0001

Nonaka, I., & Yamaguchi, I. (2022). The SECI Model: Knowledge Creation in the Cycle of Subjectivity and Objectivity. In Management by Eidetic Intuition (pp. 125–139). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6851-7_10

Palaniswamy, N., Vadivelu, S., & Murugarajan, P. (2025). A Spiral Approach of Knowledge Creation in International Business Course Using SECI and “Ba” Model. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 36(3), 189–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/08975930.2025.2561549

Perkmann, M., Salandra, R., Tartari, V., McKelvey, M., & Hughes, A. (2021). Academic engagement: A review of the literature 2011-2019. Research Policy, 50(1), 104114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.104114

Prabhakar, G. V., & Savinkina, L. A. (2018). Knowledge conversion processes and organisational performance. International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 9(4), 342–362. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJKMS.2018.096315

Proença, S. (2025). How to Boost Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Higher Education Institutions. European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 20(1), 575–583. https://doi.org/10.34190/ecie.20.1.3908

Rattanawichai, N., Wiriyapinit, M., & Khlaisang, J. (2023). The Factors Affecting Innovative Behavior: An Employee Assessment System Based on Knowledge Creation. HighTech and Innovation Journal, 4(1), 174–188. https://doi.org/10.28991/HIJ-2023-04-01-012

Sauer, P. C., & Seuring, S. (2023). How to conduct systematic literature reviews in management research: a guide in 6 steps and 14 decisions. Review of Managerial Science, 17(5), 1899–1933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-023-00668-3

Sepúlveda-Rojas, J. P., Aravena, S., & Carrasco, R. (2024). Increasing Efficiency in Furniture Remanufacturing with AHP and the SECI Model. Sustainability (Switzerland), 16(23), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310339

Songkram, N., & Chootongchai, S. (2020). Effects of pedagogy and information technology utilization on innovation creation by SECI model. Education and Information Technologies, 25(5), 4297–4315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10150-2

Takahashi, K., & Kiyosumi, M. (2021). Verification of PBL Activation Methodologies by the SECI Model in Entrepreneurship Education Program. International Journal of Affective Engineering, 20(2), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.5057/ijae.IJAE-D-20-00014

Tyagi, S. (2016). An improved fuzzy-AHP (IFAHP) approach to compare SECI modes. International Journal of Production Research, 54(15), 4520–4536. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2015.1067378

Zahedi, M. R. (2024). Nonaka and Takeuchi knowledge management model based on institutional and infrastructure factors. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, December. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-02-2023-0033

Żatuchin, D. (2024). Beyond SECI: Advancing Knowledge Transformation Through Digital Innovation in MBA Education. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3979942/v1

Żatuchin, D. (2025). Enhancing MBA Curriculum Through Adapted SECI Knowledge Transformation Model. Trends in Higher Education, 4(3), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/higheredu4030046