Purpose – this article investigates the impact of knowledge acquisition on the leading knowledge management processes such as knowledge storage, application, and creation in higher education institutions.

Research methodology – scientific literature review and hypotheses were used to develop the research model. The re-search data was collected from 202 academics from Lebanese higher education institutions. The structural questionnaire and structural equation modeling techniques were employed to test the research hypotheses.

Findings – the findings confirmed the knowledge acquisition process’s leading role with the highest impact on knowl-edge creation and provided valuable insights for scientists in the knowledge acquisition field.

Research limitations – this study’s results are primarily applicable in Lebanon and can’t be generalized to other coun-tries. Therefore, a further researcher should encompass diverse countries to generalize the findings on a global level.

Practical implications – the results emphasize more attention for higher education institutions’ administration to focus on higher education institutions’ knowledge management cycle, particularly on the knowledge acquisition process.

Originality/Value – in this study, the significant influence of knowledge acquisition on other knowledge management processes in the Lebanese higher education institutions has been revealed, as no prior research in Lebanon is found.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/cibmee.2021.646