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1 – 10 of over 4000Shahid Razzaq, Muhammad Shujahat, Saddam Hussain, Faisal Nawaz, Minhong Wang, Murad Ali and Shehnaz Tehseen
Knowledge management in the public sector is relatively an ignored avenue of research and practice that has recently been given attention. Knowledge management initiatives in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Knowledge management in the public sector is relatively an ignored avenue of research and practice that has recently been given attention. Knowledge management initiatives in the public sector are now not limited to the developed countries anymore. The public sectors of various developing countries including Pakistan have developed knowledge management functions to address the problems of low organizational commitment (higher turnover rates) and knowledge-workers’ performance. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the mediation role of organizational commitment in the relationship between knowledge management practices and knowledge-worker performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were gathered from 341 knowledge workers of the public sector health department of Punjab Province, Pakistan, where knowledge management unit initiative has been taken. It was then analyzed using the structural equation modeling.
Findings
Organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between knowledge management practices and knowledge-work performance.
Practical implications
The public sector policy makers are strongly advised to implement knowledge management units and practices in order to enhance knowledge-work performance as well as organizational commitment.
Originality/value
First, the model on the mediating role of organizational commitment has never been examined before. Second, the data collection from the public Health Department of Pakistan, a developing country, is relatively rare because the public sector knowledge management studies have mostly been conducted in developed countries. Finally, this study extends the literature on knowledge management in the public sector that is the developing theme in knowledge management discipline while adding knowledge management as a toolkit to enhance knowledge-workers’, organizational commitment and knowledge-work performance.
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Md Farid Talukder and Haibo Wang
Since the subject matters of human resources activities on knowledge intensive firms have been changed by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this study aims to analyze…
Abstract
Purpose
Since the subject matters of human resources activities on knowledge intensive firms have been changed by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this study aims to analyze the impact of stock options on talent retention (knowledge worker retention) and knowledge productivity (innovation) in terms of patents, which directly affect the financial performance of knowledge intensive firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on agency and contingency theory to design the causality model, this study analyzes the data obtained from 227 publicly traded knowledge intensive firms in information technology (IT) and healthcare sectors. Panel data analysis is used to determine the long run causal relationship between firm innovation, knowledge worker retention and financial performance, in addition to ANOVA for evaluating firm size as a lurking variable on the effect of stock options.
Findings
The results of this study demonstrate that, when firm size is taken into account, (1) stock options significantly affect knowledge worker retention and firms' financial performance, and this impact is stronger in a during-pandemic situation than in a pre-pandemic situation (2) firm innovation significantly affects firms' financial performance and this impact is stronger in a during-pandemic situation than in a pre-pandemic situation; (3) knowledge worker retention doesn't have a significant impact on firm innovation and firms' financial performance. Moreover, random effect regression analysis for long-term relationships also depicts the same results: knowledge worker retention has non-significant impact on firm innovation and financial performance, but firm innovation significantly affects financial performance.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, the authors are the first to compare the effects of stock options, knowledge worker retention and firm innovation in both pre- and during-pandemic scenarios where firm size is taken into consideration.
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Mehwish Malik, Muhammad Abbas and Hassan Imam
Drawing upon social cognitive theory (SCT), the authors aimed to examine the relationship between supervisors' knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) style and knowledge workers'…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing upon social cognitive theory (SCT), the authors aimed to examine the relationship between supervisors' knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) style and knowledge workers' performance. The authors further investigated the conditional indirect effects of KOL on workers' performance through knowledge management (KM) engagement at different levels of workers' empowerment.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a time-lagged field survey and collected data from 212 knowledge workers and their 72 supervisors working in 15 knowledge-intensive firms across Pakistan.
Findings
The results showed that supervisors' KOL positively affected knowledge workers' performance both directly and through KM engagement. Similarly, the effect of KM engagement on workers' performance was stronger for those who experienced higher levels of empowerment. Finally, the indirect effects of KOL on workers' performance through KM engagement were stronger for higher levels of empowerment.
Originality/value
The study provided theoretical implications, specifically in a non-Western work context where KOL is relatively less explored. Additionally, the authors examined the concept of empowerment, using SCT, as a boundary condition, providing evidence for empowerment as a contingency factor that fosters employees' performance.
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Navid Nezafati, Shokouh Razaghi, Hossein Moradi, Sajjad Shokouhyar and Sepideh Jafari
This paper aims to identify the impact of demographical and organizational variables such as age, gender, experiences use of knowledge management system (KMS), education and job…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify the impact of demographical and organizational variables such as age, gender, experiences use of knowledge management system (KMS), education and job level on knowledge sharing (KS) performance of knowledge workers in knowledge activities of a KMS. Specifically, it seeks to explore that is there any relationship between the KS behavior patterns of high KS performance knowledge workers with their performance. Furthermore, this study using its conceptual attitude model aims to show that whether knowledge workers’ behavior patterns in sharing information and knowledge throughout a KMS have any specific effect or not.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposed a framework to mine knowledge workers’ raw data using data mining techniques such as clustering and association rules mining. Also, this research uses a case-based approach to a knowledge-intensive company in Iran that works in the field of information technology with 730 numbers of workers.
Findings
Findings suggest that demographical and organizational variables such as age, education and experience use of KMS have positive effects on knowledge worker’s KS behavior in KMSs. In fact, people who have lower age, higher education degrees and more experience use of KMS, have more participation in KS in KMS. Also, results depict that the experienced use of KMS has the most impact on the intention of KS in this KMS. Findings emphasize on the importance of the influence of the behavioral, organizational environments and psychological factors such as reward system, top management support, openness and trust, on KS performance of knowledge workers in the KMS. In fact, according to data, the KMS reward system caused to increasing participation of the users in KS, also in each knowledge activity that top managers participate in, the scores were higher.
Practical implications
This research helps top managers in designing policies and strategies to improve the participation of knowledge workers in KS and helps human resource managers to improve their membership policies. Also, assist Information Technology (IT) managers to enhance KMSs’ design to leverage with organization strategies in the field of improving KS and encourage people to participate in KMS.
Originality/value
This research has two key values. First, this paper applies a data mining framework to mining and analyzing data and this paper uses actual data of a KMS in a specialist company in Iran, with about 27,740 real data points. Second, this paper investigates the impact of demographical and organizational attributes on KS behavior, which little is empirically known about the impact of demographical variables on KS intention.
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Kwame Ansong Wadei, Chen Lu and Weijun Wu
This paper aims to draw upon motivated information processing theory to examine the sequential mediating roles of perspective taking and boundary spanning between transformational…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to draw upon motivated information processing theory to examine the sequential mediating roles of perspective taking and boundary spanning between transformational leadership and the creative performance of knowledge workers.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was carried out on a sample, including a dyad of 398 knowledge workers and their immediate supervisors in four research institutes in southwest China. The authors tested the theoretical model using structural equation modeling (SEM) and Mplus 7.0 software.
Findings
The results support the mediation model in which perspective taking was found to significantly and positively mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and boundary spanning. Boundary spanning was found to significantly and positively mediate the relationship between perspective taking and creative performance. Moreover, both perspective taking and boundary spanning were found to mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and creative performance.
Practical implications
The study findings imply that the transformational leadership behaviors of managers or supervisors nurture knowledge workers' perspective taking and their boundary spanning activities leading to creative performance.
Originality/value
The findings contribute new knowledge to the relationship between transformational leadership and creative performance by uncovering the causal chain of a cognitive mechanism (perspective taking) with a behavioral mechanism (boundary spanning).
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Muhammad Shujahat, Minhong Wang, Murad Ali, Anum Bibi, Shahid Razzaq and Susanne Durst
The high turnover rate of knowledge workers presents a challenge to both organizational and personal knowledge management. Although personal knowledge management plays an…
Abstract
Purpose
The high turnover rate of knowledge workers presents a challenge to both organizational and personal knowledge management. Although personal knowledge management plays an important role in organizational knowledge management, empirical research on the practices for its application is underdeveloped. This study aims to examine the role of idiosyncratic job-design practices (i.e. job definition, job autonomy, innovation as a job requirement and lifelong learning orientation) in cultivating personal knowledge management among knowledge workers in organizations, to increase their productivity and safeguard the organization against knowledge loss arising from knowledge workers’ interfirm mobility.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 221 knowledge workers pursuing various knowledge-intensive jobs through a questionnaire survey and were analysed using partial least squares modelling.
Findings
The results demonstrated that three job-design practices (job definition, innovation as a job requirement and lifelong learning orientation) have a positive impact on personal knowledge management among knowledge workers and thus improve their productivity. However, job autonomy can affect personal knowledge management negatively.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are confined to a specific context and should be replicated across different contexts for better generalizability in future research.
Practical implications
Organizational managers should pay attention to (re)designing knowledge-intensive jobs to cultivate personal knowledge management by clearly outlining job responsibilities, offering opportunities to add relevant job activities and drop irrelevant ones, and making innovation and lifelong learning a formal job requirement. In addition, job autonomy should be judiciously provided along with sufficient social and network support to avoid lost opportunities in knowledge creation and sharing, and should be linked to job responsibilities and performance appraisals to avoid negative effects.
Originality/value
The high turnover rate of knowledge workers presents a challenge to both organizational and personal knowledge management. This study contributes to the literature by addressing the research gap in two aspects. Firstly, based on Drucker’s theory, this study identifies four idiosyncratic job-design practices (job definition, job autonomy, innovation as a job requirement and lifelong learning orientation) that reflect the distinctive characteristics of knowledge-intensive work. Secondly, this study examines whether and how these practices can cultivate personal knowledge management among knowledge workers, which can support their productivity.
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Building on network theory, this study aims to examine how network resources and network knowledge utilization influence mobility within networks of knowledge workers…
Abstract
Purpose
Building on network theory, this study aims to examine how network resources and network knowledge utilization influence mobility within networks of knowledge workers. Specifically, it examines how the availability of resources in a network and knowledge utilization, in a period impacts the structure of the focal network in the following period.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses data from the National Basketball Association to depict the mobility of knowledge workers in a network. Because of the nature of the dependent variable, the study used a conditional fixed-effects quasi-maximum-likelihood Poisson regression as an analytical methodology.
Findings
The study finds that network resources are partially significant in predicting knowledge workers’ mobility and that knowledge utilization of networks of knowledge workers in one period negatively affects networks’ structure in the following period.
Originality/value
The study advances our understanding of the knowledge workers’ mobility phenomenon by examining network-level factors that influence the mobility of knowledge workers. It addresses the issue from a different theoretical perspective that is rarely used in studies of knowledge workers, which mostly draw from the traditional human resource literature. Additionally, it contributes to the emerging literature of network dynamics by studying factors that affect network changes. The study also responds to the calls that advocate using sports data to examine organizational phenomena.
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Alan D. Smith and William T. Rupp
One major purpose of performance appraisals is to determine individual merit, especially where pay for performance systems are employed. Based upon expectancy theory, high…
Abstract
One major purpose of performance appraisals is to determine individual merit, especially where pay for performance systems are employed. Based upon expectancy theory, high performance ratings should entail high merit increases while low performance ratings result in low merit increases. However, it appears that decoupling performance ratings and merit increases is a common practice, as evident from a survey that was administered to knowledge workers at multiple sites in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Human capital themes that appeared to be fair and/or equitable among the sampled knowledge workers, using a grounded theory approach, included the following collective concepts: marginal, actual performance, good reviews associated with good raises, nice raises, management's reviews are partly or mostly objective, employee intrinsic motivation, attitude, years of service, and appropriate education level. Negative aspects of the performance/reward systems were also explored. Associated training suggestions included constant attention by management that keeps the coupling of performance evaluations and motivational/incentive pay systems alive and well, as well as a system to track corporate goals that allow management to compare training, performance metrics, employee retention, and other data with company‐wide goals and employees’ expectations.
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Anum Shahzadi, Shuangyan Li, Umar Farooq Sahibzada, Mehwish Malik, Roshi Khalid and Gul Afshan
Constructed upon a knowledge-based view, the purpose of this paper aims to empirically examine the entrepreneurial leadership impact as knowledge management enabler on knowledge…
Abstract
Purpose
Constructed upon a knowledge-based view, the purpose of this paper aims to empirically examine the entrepreneurial leadership impact as knowledge management enabler on knowledge management processes and knowledge management processes on project success. The study further ascertains the mediating role of knowledge worker satisfaction among knowledge management processes and project success.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the data collected from 302 project workers from the software industry, China. The research used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the hypothesis relationships using smart-PLS 3.2.9.
Findings
The outcome of the study reveals that entrepreneurial leadership has a substantial significant impact on knowledge management processes, and knowledge management processes influence project success via knowledge worker satisfaction as a mediator both directly and indirectly. Moreover, the study found partial mediation of knowledge worker satisfaction between knowledge management processes and project success.
Practical implications
The current research identifies that entrepreneurial leadership may play a role in fostering knowledge management processes in project-based organizations (e.g. software industry) that can use the knowledge management processes to increase their chances of project success. More broadly, the current study contributes to the entrepreneurial leadership, knowledge management processes, knowledge worker satisfaction and project success existing literature and strengthens the relationship and suggest that how project manager's value knowledge worker satisfaction and help organizations gain competitive advantage and project success.
Originality/value
Although there is an increased significance of knowledge management in the software industry, there is a lack of research that examines the enabling factors and outcomes of knowledge management practices. The present study is one of the first studies to ascertain the relationship of entrepreneurial leadership, knowledge management processes, knowledge worker satisfaction and project success. This is one of the initial researches that not only empirically examines the interrelationships among these variables but also enlighten insights into the current literature by instantaneous investigation of the mediating role of knowledge worker satisfaction.
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Sharmila Jayasingam, Muhiniswari Govindasamy and Sharan Kaur Garib Singh
This study aims to examine factors that may influence affective organizational commitment among knowledge workers. The five final factors considered in this study include…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine factors that may influence affective organizational commitment among knowledge workers. The five final factors considered in this study include knowledge-sharing culture, autonomy, workplace value identity, promotion practices and, finally, management support. Gender was included as the moderator for the aforementioned relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 522 knowledge workers from manufacturing, retail and service sector anonymously completed a structured questionnaire that included measures of the variables of this study. Hierarchical regression was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings provide evidence on the possible factors that organizations need to focus on and improvise to ensure the “want to remain in the organization” sentiment is enhanced among knowledge workers. Workplace value identity and knowledge-sharing culture were identified as the pertinent factors in influencing affective commitment. Gender was found to moderate the relationship between unfair promotion practice, knowledge-sharing culture and affective commitment.
Research limitations/implications
One obvious limitation is that the sample of this study is sourced from a pool of knowledge workers. This limits our ability to conduct a comparative analysis with non-knowledge workers. Hence, future research could expand the model of this study to compare these relationships among knowledge and non-knowledge worker.
Practical implications
Understanding the impact of these factors in a knowledge-based context helps firms prioritize and focus on important factors that can improve the level of affective commitment among knowledge workers. Doing so facilitates knowledge retention and prevents loss of knowledge.
Originality/value
From a knowledge-based view, this paper identified factors that play an important role in retaining knowledge workers through enhanced affective commitment. With the changing workforce, the findings of this study show how knowledge-sharing culture and achievement orientation dominate affective commitment in a knowledge-based context.
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