Indian study shows that encouraging knowledge sharing at work can help spark innovative behavior

Abstract

Purpose

The authors wanted to find out the most important mechanisms for encouraging innovative behavior in the Indian manufacturing sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers collected data from Indian manufacturing organizations. They distributed questionnaires and received 288 complete ones. Items measured critical concepts. For OJ one example was “I have been fairly rewarded for the effort I put forth”. For KS, one sample was, “When I have learned something new, I tell my colleagues about it” and, “When they have learned something new, my colleagues tell me about it”. Meanwhile, IB was measured using items such as “I generate original solutions for problems”.

Findings

It highlighted the pivotal role of OJ in bolstering employees’ IB. When companies treat employees fairly, it encourages positive social interactions that lead to perceptions of supportiveness and trustworthiness. Employees reciprocate these sentiments with positive behavior. The study also showed the positive predictive influence of KS on IB. Finally, the results showed that the relationship between OJ and IB is complex, but KS is a pivotal mediator. Promotion of OJ, KS and IM is “vital” to spark innovation.

Originality/value

The authors felt their most important finding was to highlight the critical role of the underlying mechanism of KS, which is where individuals exchange implicit and explicit knowledge to create new knowledge. In addition, previous researchers have looked at the role of organizational justice in encouraging innovative behavior, but evidence from non-Western countries is scarce.

Citation

(2021), "Indian study shows that encouraging knowledge sharing at work can help spark innovative behavior", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 29 No. 4, pp. 35-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-04-2021-0093