The Role of Knowledge Management in Cultural Capital Investment in Saudi Universities: Requirements and Challenges

In the age of the knowledge economy, knowledge management has become essential for organizational competitiveness and sustainability, particularly through its role in fostering innovation, creativity, and strategic development. Within this context, the creative economy has emerged as an extension of the knowledge economy, with the cultural economy forming a central component. This shift positions the cultural sector at the heart of economic activity and underscores the strategic role of universities as key institutions for producing, managing, and investing in knowledge. This study examines the role of knowledge management in advancing cultural capital investment at King Abdulaziz University. The study focuses on identifying explicit requirements, major challenges, and strategic opportunities that enable universities to leverage their cultural assets. It situates the inquiry within existing literature, which increasingly highlights the economic significance of cultural capital but notes a scarcity of empirical research addressing its relationship with knowledge management in higher education settings. Using a quantitative case study methodology, survey data were collected from 240 academic and administrative leaders. The findings reveal several key barriers to cultural capital investment, including insufficient incentives, the absence of an integrated institutional strategy, limited interdepartmental coordination, and a lack of sustainable funding mechanisms. At the same time, the study identifies essential requirements, such as strengthening partnerships with the private sector, developing long-term funding sources, and establishing mechanisms that support the transformation of cultural assets into value-generating investments. The results indicate that creating a dedicated Cultural Capital Center and integrating the cultural economy into the university’s strategic framework are critical steps for translating cultural capital into measurable institutional and economic benefits. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how knowledge management can function as a strategic enabler for cultural investment within universities, particularly in the Arab region, where such studies remain limited.