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1 – 10 of over 20000Fatemeh Nooshinfard and Leila Nemati-Anaraki
The dynamism of new economy requires information professionals not only to create knowledge quickly but also to acquire and apply knowledge through knowledge sharing (KS). So…
Abstract
Purpose
The dynamism of new economy requires information professionals not only to create knowledge quickly but also to acquire and apply knowledge through knowledge sharing (KS). So, determining factors that may influence knowledge sharing within an organization or among organizations has become an important area of research. This paper aims to review determinant factors influencing inter- and intra-organizational knowledge sharing in order to offer a framework.
Design/methodology/approach
The present paper proceeds in three phases. In the first phase, the published literature on knowledge sharing has been reviewed extensively with consideration of their empirical applications. Next, based on the understanding gained from the previous stage, a conceptual framework of successful factors for effective inter-organizational knowledge sharing has been proposed. In the third phase, the proposed framework has been developed and finalized towards its maturity.
Findings
Based on the literature, the authors have developed a framework for understanding factors which influence inter-organizational knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing among organizations appears theoretically sound, but it is a difficult task due to some complexities.
Research limitations/implications
This paper attempts to set a theoretical framework for inter-organizational knowledge sharing as a foundation to address the gap in current literature though it does not claim to be comprehensive.
Originality/value
A few attempts have been made to investigate success factors for inter-organizational knowledge sharing empirically or even theoretically, but this is the first of its kind that provides a theoretical framework to arrange success factors for the knowledge sharing based on inter-organizational collaborations. It serves as a useful starting point for those interested in knowledge management (KM). So it can serve as a roadmap of significant knowledge sharing research for researchers, designers and managers considering their options for fostering KM.
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Guodong Ni, Qi Zhou, Xinyue Miao, Miaomiao Niu, Yuzhuo Zheng, Yuanyuan Zhu and Guoxuan Ni
New generation of construction workers (NGCWs) who were born in the 1980s and later have gradually become the main workforce of Chinese construction industry. They may behave…
Abstract
Purpose
New generation of construction workers (NGCWs) who were born in the 1980s and later have gradually become the main workforce of Chinese construction industry. They may behave differently when dealing with knowledge-related activities due to divergent characteristics caused by generational discrepancy. To provide a theoretical foundation for construction companies and safety managers to improve safety management, this research explores the factors and paths impacting the NGCWs' ability to share their safety knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on literature review, main factors that influence the safety knowledge sharing of the NGCWs were identified. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory and Interpretive Structural Modeling were applied to identify the hierarchical and contextual relations among the factors influencing the safety knowledge sharing of the NGCWs.
Findings
The results showed that sharing atmosphere ranked first in centrality and had a high degree of influence and being influenced, indicating itself an extremely important influencing factor of safety knowledge sharing of NGCWs. Six root influencing factors were identified, including individual characteristics, work pressure, sharing platform, incentive mechanism, leadership support and safety management system.
Research limitations/implications
The number of influencing factors of safety knowledge sharing of the NGCWs identified in this study is limited, and the data obtained by the expert scoring method is subjective. In future studies, the model should be further developed and validated by incorporating experts from different fields to improve its integrity and applicability.
Practical implications
The influencing factors identified in this paper can provide a basis for construction companies and safety managers to improve productivity and safety management by taking relevant measures to promote safety knowledge sharing. The research contributes to the understanding knowledge management in the context of the emerging market. It helps to answer the question of how the market can maintain the economic growth success through effective knowledge management.
Originality/value
This paper investigates the influencing factors of NGCWs' safety knowledge sharing from the perspective of intergenerational differences, and the 13 influencing factor index system established expands the scope of research on factors influencing safety knowledge sharing among construction workers and fills the gap in safety knowledge sharing research on young construction workers. Furthermore, this paper establishes a multi-layer recursive structure model to clarify the influence path of the influencing factors and contributes to the understanding of safety knowledge sharing mechanism.
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This paper aims to discuss the motivational factors affecting the knowledge sharing through an intra‐organizational social media platform and to answer the following research…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss the motivational factors affecting the knowledge sharing through an intra‐organizational social media platform and to answer the following research questions: “What motivates employees to share their knowledge through an intra‐organizational social media platform?”; “What impedes them sharing knowledge this way?”; and “Do these factors differ from those motivational factors regarding knowledge sharing in general?”.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper approaches the issue from both theoretical and empirical viewpoints. The motivational factors regarding knowledge sharing in general are summed up from literature. The social media platform perspective to the issue is studied by conducting a survey in two companies.
Findings
The results reveal that the motivation to share knowledge through an intra‐organizational social media platform is the desire to help the organization reach its goals and helping colleagues, while financial rewards and advancing one's career were seen as least motivating. The key issues enabling the success of using a collaborative intra‐organizational social media platform in knowledge sharing are in line with the general knowledge sharing motivational factors, although supplemented with some additional features: reciprocity in knowledge sharing, making every‐day work easier and faster and ease of use are the key factors that make or break the success.
Originality/value
The empirical study reveals what motivates and impedes the employees of the companies to share knowledge via an intra‐organizational social media platform. The results are discussed in the light of those from earlier research about general knowledge sharing motivational factors.
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Liana Razmerita, Kathrin Kirchner and Pia Nielsen
Enterprise social media platforms provide new ways of sharing knowledge and communicating within organizations to benefit from the social capital and valuable knowledge that…
Abstract
Purpose
Enterprise social media platforms provide new ways of sharing knowledge and communicating within organizations to benefit from the social capital and valuable knowledge that employees have. Drawing on social dilemma and self-determination theory, the purpose of this paper is to understand what factors drive employees’ participation and what factors hamper their participation in enterprise social media.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a literature review, a unified research model is derived integrating demographic, individual, organizational and technological factors that influence the motivation of employees to share knowledge. The model is tested using statistical methods on a sample of 114 respondents in Denmark. Qualitative data are used to elaborate and explain quantitative findings.
Findings
The findings pinpoint towards the general drivers and barriers to knowledge sharing within organizations. The significant drivers to knowledge sharing are: enjoy helping others, monetary rewards, management support, management encourages and motivates knowledge sharing behavior and knowledge sharing is recognized. The significant identified barriers are: change of behavior, lack of trust and lack of time.
Practical implications
The proposed knowledge sharing framework helps to understand what factors impact engagement on social media. Furthermore, the article suggests different types of interventions to overcome the social dilemma of knowledge sharing.
Originality/value
The study contributes to an understanding of factors leading to the success or failure of enterprise social media drawing on self-determination and social dilemma theory.
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Kamla Ali Al-Busaidi and Lorne Olfman
Inter-organizational knowledge sharing systems (IOKSS) are crucial for scientific, social and economic development especially in knowledge-intensive sectors. Knowledge sharing…
Abstract
Purpose
Inter-organizational knowledge sharing systems (IOKSS) are crucial for scientific, social and economic development especially in knowledge-intensive sectors. Knowledge sharing processes and systems will not only be challenged by individual and organizational factors but also by social, technical and political inter-organizational factors. This paper aims to investigate the impact of knowledge worker, peer, IOKSS, organization and sector factors on knowledge workers’ intention to share knowledge through IOKSS. Knowledge workers are the key stakeholders that enable the survival of IOKSS.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected, through a questionnaire, from knowledge workers in the education and the health sectors.
Findings
This study found that the human factors (related to knowledge workers and their peers) have significant direct impact on intention to share knowledge through IOKSS. Other factors, such as IOKSS system, organization and sector factors showed indirect impacts on knowledge workers’ intention to share knowledge through IOKSS. Such investigation can be very valuable for developing countries as technological innovations such as IOKSS can be crucial for training and building human resources, and national knowledge management.
Originality/value
Little is empirically known about the enablers of sharing knowledge in systems that connect organizations in horizontal linkage in a specific sector or industry. The study also adds value to under investigated region.
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Najla Podrug, Davor Filipović and Matea Kovač
The purpose of this paper is to empirically distinguish the influence of the individual factors (enjoyment in helping others and knowledge self-efficacy), organizational factors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically distinguish the influence of the individual factors (enjoyment in helping others and knowledge self-efficacy), organizational factors (top management support and organizational rewards) and technology factors (information and communication technology use) on knowledge-sharing processes.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a survey of 196 employees from large ICT companies in Croatia, and structural equation modeling was used to investigate the research model.
Findings
Results of the empirical research indicate that enjoyment in helping others as an individual factor, top management support as an organizational factor, and ICT use as a technology factor significantly influence knowledge-sharing processes. The results also suggest that the willingness of employee to donate and collect knowledge enables the firm to improve innovation capability. No influence of the individual factor knowledge self-efficacy on the employee knowledge-sharing behavior was found within this research.
Research limitations/implications
Subjectivity of respondents, Likert scale – perception, and future research can include higher number of population and examine how personal traits (such as age, level of education, and working experience) and organizational characteristics (such as firm size) may moderate the relationships between knowledge enablers and processes.
Practical implications
From a practical perspective, the relationships among knowledge-sharing enablers, processes, and firm innovation capability may provide a guide regarding how firms can promote knowledge-sharing cultures to sustain their innovation performance.
Originality/value
This study identifies several factors essential to successful knowledge sharing, and discusses the implications of these factors for developing organizational strategies that encourage and foster knowledge sharing.
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The study aims to investigate the role of information literacy competencies regarding the impact of personality factors on knowledge sharing behavior in information services.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to investigate the role of information literacy competencies regarding the impact of personality factors on knowledge sharing behavior in information services.
Design/methodology/approach
A sequential mixed-methods approach was used as the research design. To construct the two less identified variables of knowledge sharing behavior and information literacy competencies in actual information services, the literature existed were searched and validated in a systematic review procedure. Two conceptual models including two initial questionnaires were developed, which were then confirmed by a set of 10 related experts through semi-structured interviews. For gathering data related to the variable personality factors, the Five-Factor Inventory was used as a widely recognized measure. The sample population of the quantitative section constituted of a set of 160 librarians working in the central libraries of the state universities located at Tehran, Iran. Data analysis was conducted through structural equation modeling using software SmartPLS.
Findings
The results showed that the personality factors had a positive and significant impact on information literacy competencies with a path coefficient of 0.48 and information literacy competencies skills had a positive and significant effect on the knowledge sharing behavior with a path coefficient of 0.47. However, with a path coefficient of 0.02, the personality factors had no direct effect on the knowledge sharing behavior while its indirect impact was then confirmed by the mediating role of information literacy competencies.
Originality/value
To achieve the desired knowledge sharing behavior, there should be concerns about the information literacy competencies of the librarians. Moreover, the knowledge sharing behavior of the librarians should be more taken into consideration concerning their personality factors.
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The number of online communities has increased rapidly with the development of the Internet. Although these communities provide users with knowledge-sharing channels, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The number of online communities has increased rapidly with the development of the Internet. Although these communities provide users with knowledge-sharing channels, the enthusiasm of the users for participation remains low. Ecosystem theory, social cognitive theory, and some other theories emphasize the importance of environmental factors and hypothesize that the behavior of users is affected by personal factors and environmental factors. In this study, the authors investigated the impact of platform environmental factors on knowledge-sharing behavior and improved the platform environment construction of online communities.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the authors analyzed the influencing factors of online community knowledge-sharing from the perspective of the platform environment, constructed a research model, and proposed relevant hypotheses. Then, the authors designed a questionnaire and conducted a survey, and finally tested the hypotheses by using the method of structural equation model.
Findings
The results showed that community trust, community management, community incentive, community atmosphere, and community information protection had a significant positive impact on community knowledge-sharing behavior. Community trust played a significant intermediary role in the relationship between community management, community incentive, community information protection, and knowledge-sharing behavior; community information protection only affected knowledge-sharing behavior through community trust. Additionally, community atmosphere did not directly affect knowledge-sharing behavior through the intermediary of community trust.
Practical implications
This study showed that theoretical supplements and practical guidance are significant for conducting research and managing knowledge-sharing in the online community. They help community managers pay more attention to the construction of an online community platform environment.
Originality/value
In this study, the authors analyzed the influencing factors of online community knowledge-sharing from the perspective of the platform environment and introduced community trust as an intermediary variable. The research perspective and model of this study are novel to some extent.
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Ali Jolaee, Khalil Md Nor, Naser Khani and Rosman Md Yusoff
The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting knowledge sharing among academic staff in universities. Utilizing the theory of reasoned action (TRA) as the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting knowledge sharing among academic staff in universities. Utilizing the theory of reasoned action (TRA) as the underlying research framework, the main objective of this study was threefold. First, was to examine the relationship between attitude, subjective norm, and trust with knowledge sharing intention. Second, was to examine the relationship among factors, i.e., self-efficacy, social networks and extrinsic rewards with attitude toward knowledge sharing intention and the third objective was to find out the relationship between organizational support and subjective norm.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed among academic staff at three social science faculties in one public university in Malaysia. Collectively, 117 usable responses were returned. Partial Least Square analysis was utilized to analyze the data.
Findings
The results indicated that of the two components of the TRA, only attitude was positively and significantly related to knowledge sharing intention. The findings also show that social network and self-efficacy significantly affect attitude and organizational support showed a strong influence on subjective norms toward knowledge sharing intention.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should consider type of knowledge that is being shared. Besides, it would also be interesting to investigate potential differences of the knowledge sharing intention between academic staff in the private and public universities.
Practical implications
This study offers a more clear vision of the factors that affect knowledge sharing intention among academic staff. Therefore, managers can implement practical plan to support those factors.
Originality/value
Factors affecting knowledge sharing among academic staff in universities were reviewed to suggest a framework to explain this behavior in a specific context.
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Arif Abdelwhab Ali, Dhanapal Durai Dominic Panneer selvam, Lori Paris and Angappa Gunasekaran
This study aims to investigate the key elements that influence knowledge sharing practice, primarily the relationship between knowledge sharing practice and organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the key elements that influence knowledge sharing practice, primarily the relationship between knowledge sharing practice and organizational performance within the oil and gas (OG) industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 203 responses was collected from the OG industry using an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using applied structural equation modeling to validate the model and test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicate that significant relationships exist among the model constructs. These findings provide a better understanding of the factors that influence knowledge sharing practices within the OG industry. These findings prove that knowledge sharing practices positively impact organizational performance through cost reduction, organization growth and intangible benefits.
Practical implications
This study demonstrates that organizations in the OG industry may increase performance by adopting knowledge sharing practices. This study also provides practitioners with important information to enhance knowledge sharing practice within their organizations. For instance, managers should focus on Web 2.0 and other knowledge sharing systems to facilitate both tacit and explicit knowledge sharing. The findings provide empirical evidence that knowledge sharing practices allow organizations to transfer expert knowledge to younger generations of employees. As a result, organizations will be able to capture knowledge and alleviate the negative impact of high staff turnover within the OG industry.
Originality/value
The lack of knowledge sharing practices and the eminent loss of technical knowledge within the (OG) industry, because of retirements and turnover, create a difficult challenge for practitioners. Research on knowledge sharing within the OG industry is limited. Therefore, this study provides an in-depth analysis regarding the critical knowledge sharing practices and valuable information to researcher and practitioners’ knowledge sharing practices within the OG industry.
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