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1 – 2 of 2Informal knowledge sharing interactions (IKSI) are of particular value for innovation projects. This is especially true for unplanned IKSI, because they are even more likely to…
Abstract
Purpose
Informal knowledge sharing interactions (IKSI) are of particular value for innovation projects. This is especially true for unplanned IKSI, because they are even more likely to provide non-redundant knowledge and new perspectives than planned IKSI. Seminal studies have shown that the formation of unplanned IKSI can be explained on the basis of spatial structures. Strictly speaking, however, these studies only explain unplanned encounters. Whether unplanned IKSI result from these unplanned encounters, though, cannot be satisfactorily explained on the basis of spatial configurations alone. The purpose of this paper is to tackle this explanatory gap by unraveling the fundamental social processes by application of the symbolic interaction theory.
Design/methodology/approach
For this purpose, the formation of 132 IKSI on innovation projects from three research and development departments of large companies was recorded in detail using a combination of diaries and interviews. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Findings
The analysis reveals that IKSI cause symbolic costs (image damages), and that these costs vary between types of social situations. Because actors anticipate situation-specific costs, their propensity to initiate IKSI can be explained in terms of the situations in which they encounter one another. Furthermore, the analysis reveals six particularly relevant characteristics of situations and further elaborates the basic argument by analyzing their functioning.
Originality/value
The paper complements previous explanations of unplanned IKSI by opening up the social processes underlying their formation.
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Qaisar Iqbal and Katarzyna Piwowar-Sulej
Considering the vital role of resource-constraint innovation in developing countries, the aim of the study is to examine the mechanism of internal and external heterogeneous…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the vital role of resource-constraint innovation in developing countries, the aim of the study is to examine the mechanism of internal and external heterogeneous knowledge sharing (HKS) in the relationship between sustainable leadership (SL) and frugal innovation (FI). The social exchange theory was used to develop a research framework.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis to examine the relationship among several latent factors based on 263 participants from Pakistani SMEs.
Findings
The current findings support the significant positive impact of SL on both internal and external HKS. Moreover, this study also confirms the mediating effect of both types of HKS in the relationship between SL and FI.
Research limitations/implications
To delve further into the benefits and vital role of HKS, it is recommended to conduct further research that would examine the potential impact of heterogeneous knowledge sources on the “SL–FI relationship” and to apply the presented research methodology in other countries and organizations beyond Pakistani SMEs.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first documented attempts to demonstrate HKS as a mechanism in the relationship between a specific type of leadership and FI.
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