Knowledge-centered culture and knowledge sharing: the moderator role of trust propensity

Purpose: This research aims to evaluate if knowledge-centered culture (KCC) fosters knowledge sharing equally across employees with different levels of trust propensity, an enduring individual characteristic. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted with 128 US-based employees. Findings: The authors found that KCC only promoted knowledge sharing in individuals with high levels of trust propensity. For individuals with low levels of trust propensity, KCC had no effect on knowledge sharing. Research limitations/implications: The authors focused exclusively on trust propensity as a moderator. Future research could analyze the role of other enduring individual differences in the relationship between KCC and knowledge sharing. Practical implications: A KCC may be inefficient in promoting knowledge sharing in employees with low propensity to trust. Recruitment and selection of individuals with a high propensity to trust is a possible solution to enhance the association between KCC and knowledge sharing in organizations. Originality/value: By identifying an enduring individual characteristic that shapes the relationship between KCC and knowledge sharing, the authors move toward the development of a contingent view of KCC and show that KCC fosters knowledge sharing differently across employees

Perceptions of knowledge sharing among small family firm leaders: a structural equation model

Small family firms have many unique relational qualities with implications for how knowledge is passed between individuals. Extant literature posits leadership approach as important in explaining differences in knowledge-sharing climate from one firm to another. This study investigates how leadership approaches interact with family influence to inform perceptions of knowledge sharing. We utilize survey data (n = 110) from owner-managers of knowledge-intensive small family firms in Scotland. Our findings present a choice in leadership intention, contrasting organization-focused participation against family-influenced guidance. Insight is offered on the implications of this leadership choice at both organizational and familial level

An Empirical Investigation of Factors Influencing IT Professionals’ Knowledge Sharing Behavior in Organizations

Knowledge management is important for competitive advantage in knowledge-based organizations. A critical aspect of managing knowledge is the knowledge sharing behavior of organizational members. A positive relationship between knowledge sharing and organizational performance has been widely supported in prior literature. The vast body of extant literature on knowledge sharing behavior has identified that individuals possess specialized knowledge which can be valuable to the organization, specifically when it is shared. Knowledge sharing behavior however is influenced by several factors which either facilitate or inhibit knowledge sharing among individuals in an organizational context. A better understanding and management of these factors would help organizations in realizing the expected benefits of knowledge sharing. Prior literature has examined the direct effects of several antecedents of knowledge sharing behavior utilizing rational or social theoretical perspectives. The interactional perspective, however, has received little attention in prior research. This approach recognizes the importance of better understanding how factors from diverse theoretical perspectives influence knowledge sharing behavior in organizations, since no single theoretical perspective can completely explain the phenomena. Several individual and contextual factors such as perceptions of equity, work group cohesiveness and emotional disposition are expected to influence individuals’ in sharing their specialized knowledge. However, the influence of these factors on knowledge sharing has not been investigated in prior literature. This study investigates the relationship between the presence of specialized knowledge and knowledge-sharing behavior under the influence of contextual factors. We developed a contingency model of knowledge sharing behavior drawing upon the factors identified from prior literature and empirically test the model using survey responses from IS professionals. The research provides useful insights into knowledge sharing behavior in organizations. We discuss the implications for research and practice and suggest directions for future research

Knowledge sharing and individuals’ work performance : A virtuous spiral

The research on knowledge management, specifically on knowledge sharing, finds that the efficient use of knowledge in organizations has an influence on a variety of organizational indicators. This paper explores the relation between knowledge sharing and individuals’ work performance. We conduct a survey of 309 employees from different firms. The responses show that knowledge sharing has a positive relation with individuals’ work performance and with HR practices. On the other hand, the responses indicate that the performance appraisal and the work design could have a significant effect on the virtuous spiral of the adoption of knowledge sharing. Further, these findings indicate that knowledge is highly valued by employees.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perceptions of knowledge sharing within hybrid learning environments: as iron sharpens iron among graduate students

Knowledge sharing is an important mechanism for strengthening student learning (Petrides & Nodine, 2003), which pertains to the activities or behaviors involving the spread of knowledge between individuals (Jalal, Toulson, & Tweed, 2010) and the willingness of those individuals to share their knowledge with each other (Gibbert & Krause, 2002). Scholars have previously studied knowledge sharing behaviors in corporate environments (Hendriks, 1999; Nelson & Cooprider, 1996; Wasko & Faraj, 2005); however, few studies have focused on hybrid learning environments in higher education. This qualitative research study explored the perceptions of knowledge sharing among graduate students within hybrid learning environments. Eleven doctoral and master’s degree students participated in this phenomenological investigation providing authentic descriptions of their lived experiences. The study results included eight themes that emerged from the key findings: (a) Knowledge is Shared Learning; (b) Preferred Conditions Best Facilitate Knowledge Sharing; (c) The Concept of Reciprocal Learning Motivates Knowledge Sharing; (d) Perceptions of Others Is a Barrier to Knowledge Sharing; (e) Knowledge Sharing Occurs Both Virtually and Face-to-Face; (f) Knowledge Sharing Allows for Learning from Others’ Experiences; (g) Knowledge Sharing Benefits Overall Student Learning Experiences; and (h) Hybrid Learning Environments Support Knowledge Sharing. The potential implications for policy and practice are discussed along with possible recommendations for future research

Knowledge Sharing in Emerging Economies

One of the new factors in Eastern European countries (and there is an acknowledgement that this aspect is inherent in other countries too) is this concept of freely sharing information i.e. the concept of what is known in KM literature of “Knowledge Sharing”. Sharing only takes place where there is trust and where there is a shared feeling of ownership of goals. The reasons behind the tendency to share are based on the kind of interpersonal relations between co- workers inherent within the organization and the effects of social relationships within organizational teams. Strengthening the social relationships between individuals in the team is crucial in motivating team members to share knowledge. New research is currently investigating the concept of “sharing social relationships” and one of the aims of the project is to investigate the barriers to sharing information in a particular type of business - that of the small to medium sized enterprises (the SME) in order to form a comparative study. The results of the study will be used to from a model of “information sharing best practice” for SME who are setting up or using KM systems. The work will examine the barriers to sharing in two newly emerging economies (Poland and Hungary) and one relatively established economy (the UK). At the time of writing the work with Poland and Hungary has been completed and this paper gives the initial results from the Hungarian study

The Effect of Knowledge Sharing on Open Source Contribution: A Multi-platform Perspective

Open source software (OSS) community plays a key role in contemporary software development. However, there is a need to better understand the factors which influence individuals’ voluntary contribution on open source platforms. In this paper, we investigate how different types of knowledge sharing affect an individuals’ contribution towards open source projects. We further refine knowledge sharing taxonomy by classifying explicit knowledge sharing into two sub-types – strong explicit knowledge sharing and weak explicit knowledge sharing, depending on the extent of interpersonal interaction required for knowledge transfer. In this paper, we take a multi-platform perspective – we collect data from GitHub – the biggest online platform to host open source software development, and Gitter – an open source instant messaging and chat room application designed for developers. We map the user identities across these two platforms. We analyze monthly panel data for the year 2017 consisting of 3,695 individuals. The results demonstrate that both strong and weak explicit knowledge sharing have positive relationship with open source contribution. Moreover, the tacit knowledge sharing positively moderates these relationships. Our paper extends the theoretical understanding of different knowledge sharing types and their inter-relationship, and their respective impact on contribution. Our findings have important implications for the OSS community, and especially help OSS platform designers get a better understanding of the symbiosis between different OSS platforms

Knowledge management in the voluntary sector: A focus on sharing project know-how and expertise

Voluntary sector organisations are operated principally by volunteers who are not obliged to share their knowledge, as might be expected in a for profit company, with a greater consequent loss of knowledge should individuals leave. This research examines how a volunteer-led organisation, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), acquires, stores and shares its project knowledge in the context of event management. Three annual CAMRA festivals of different sizes and maturity were selected to see how volunteers' knowledge is managed in the process of organising their festivals. Key festival officers were interviewed and focus groups, comprising of festival volunteers, were conducted. While the maturity of a festival and its size seemed to influence the ways in which knowledge was managed there were some commonalities between festivals. Evident was a strong master-apprentice model of learning with little formal training or record keeping except, that is, where legislation and accountability in treasury and health and safety functions were necessary. Trust between volunteers and their need to know and to share information appeared to be dependent, in part, on their perception and confidence in the success of the overarching project organisation, and this helped shape volunteers' knowledge sharing practices. Whilst there was evidence of a laissez-faire approach to codification and the sharing of knowledge, this was less so when volunteers recognised a genuine lack of knowledge which would hinder the success of their festival. The analysis also highlighted factors related to the sharing of knowledge that, it is suggested, have not been identified in the for-profit sector