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1 – 10 of over 6000Shin-Yuan Hung, Jacob Chia-An Tsai, Kuanchin Chen, Charlie Chen and Ting-Ting Yeh
The purpose of this study is to examine tacit knowledge sharing within information systems development (ISD) projects by exploring the combination of social interdependence theory…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine tacit knowledge sharing within information systems development (ISD) projects by exploring the combination of social interdependence theory and regulatory focus theory (RFT).
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted on 198 ISD professionals to investigate the effect of social interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing. The survey data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and the results were discussed.
Findings
This study reveals that team members tend to share tacit knowledge in a way characterized by cooperative interdependence, and different patterns of social interdependence have an impact on tacit knowledge sharing. The RFT explains the disparities in attitude toward tacit knowledge sharing. Specifically, individuals with a prevention-focused orientation positively moderate the impact of competitive interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing, while those with a promotion-focused orientation have a negative moderating effect on the effect of competitive interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing. Moreover, promotion-focused individuals negatively moderate the effect of cooperative interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing.
Originality/value
The study identifies important aspects of social interdependence in ISD projects that affect the management of tacit knowledge. Furthermore, the study shows that the influence of cooperative and competitive interdependence on tacit knowledge sharing is moderated by the regulatory focus of an individual, providing new insights into ISD knowledge management.
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Chuanjing Ju and Yan Ning
Sharing tacit knowledge across firm boundaries is challenging in architectural and engineering design projects as tacit knowledge is embedded in the designer’s mind. It thus…
Abstract
Purpose
Sharing tacit knowledge across firm boundaries is challenging in architectural and engineering design projects as tacit knowledge is embedded in the designer’s mind. It thus requires autonomous motivation. This study aims to examine how clients integrate distributive justice (DJ), procedural justice (PJ) and interactional justice (IJ) to motivate tacit knowledge sharing in interorganizational architectural and engineering (A/E) design projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model was built, describing how the combination of distributive, procedural and interactional justice influences tacit knowledge sharing. This model was then verified using latent profile analysis (LPA) of 360 A/E design projects.
Findings
A total offour subgroups with quantitatively different combinations of distributive, procedural and interactional justice were identified. Within each subgroup, the levels of the three forms of justice were quite aligned. The results indicate that clients often implement interorganizational justice in a collective manner. Among the four subgroups, projects with the highest level of justice combination have a significantly higher level of tacit knowledge sharing than the other three. This indicates that sharing of tacit knowledge is driven by the overall level of interorganizational justice.
Originality/value
The configurational approach complements previous research by presenting how combinations of interorganizational justice influence tacit knowledge sharing in A/E design projects.
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Qiao Shi, Qiankun Wang and Zeng Guo
This paper aimed to examine the role of knowledge sharing among member enterprises between collaborative innovation activities and innovation performance and between building…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aimed to examine the role of knowledge sharing among member enterprises between collaborative innovation activities and innovation performance and between building information modeling (BIM) application and innovation performance in the construction supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
The structural equation model was used in this study. First, the hypothesis of the relationship between collaborative innovation activities, BIM application, knowledge sharing and innovation performance in the construction supply chain was proposed based on experience; then, the research data were collected by investigation; finally, this hypothesis was tested through data analysis.
Findings
(1) Collaborative innovation activities in the construction supply chain had a positive impact on explicit knowledge sharing, tacit knowledge sharing and innovation performance. (2) BIM application had a positive impact on explicit knowledge sharing and innovation performance, while it had no significant impact on tacit knowledge sharing. (3) Explicit knowledge sharing had no positive effect on innovation performance, while tacit knowledge sharing had positive effect on organizational performance. (4) Tacit knowledge sharing produced partial mediating effect between collaborative innovation activities, BIM application and innovation performance, while explicit knowledge sharing produced complete mediating effect between BIM application and tacit knowledge sharing.
Originality/value
A relationship model among collaborative innovation activities, BIM application, explicit and tacit knowledge sharing and innovation performance in the construction supply chain was proposed, and the rationality of the model was verified by empirical analysis. Discovering the relationships between these factors can be not only conducive to mastering the effect of explicit and tacit knowledge sharing in the collaborative innovation process of construction supply chain, but also play a guiding role for the function development of BIM.
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Visvalingam Suppiah and Manjit Singh Sandhu
This research aimed at investigating the influence of organisational culture types on tacit knowledge sharing behaviour in Malaysian organisations.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aimed at investigating the influence of organisational culture types on tacit knowledge sharing behaviour in Malaysian organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data was collected from 362 participants from seven organisations. Multiple regression was used to assess the research model.
Findings
The research findings indicate that organisational culture types influence tacit knowledge sharing behaviour and that such influences may be positive or negative depending on the culture type.
Research limitations/implications
The study only investigated seven organisations. A larger sample size may be necessary for a study of this nature. Aside from this the ipsative rating scale was not clearly understood by the respondents resulting in scoring errors by some.
Practical implications
Knowledge is considered the one and only distinct resource and is crucial for an organisation to sustain its competitive advantage. Determining the organisation's culture type will allow managers to implement, among the myriad knowledge sharing activities, the ones that would be more appropriate and relevant to the organisational culture.
Originality/value
Most of the knowledge in organisations is in tacit form. There is a dearth of literature on the influence of organisational culture types on tacit knowledge sharing behaviour. Aside from theoretical contributions, the findings of this study have the potential to assist organisations to unlock economic value from knowledge embedded in the minds of its employees.
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Xiaohong Zhang, Chengfeng Long, Yanbo Wang and Gaowen Tang
This paper aims to study the impact of individual relationships on tacit knowledge sharing in the company setting of compulsory bond, expressive bond, instrumental bond and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the impact of individual relationships on tacit knowledge sharing in the company setting of compulsory bond, expressive bond, instrumental bond and self-monitoring by empirical explorations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper raises seven hypotheses that focus on the impact of employees’ relationship with tacit knowledge sharing in knowledge-intensive industries and positions based on relationship theory. Before distributing the formal questionnaires, a pre-research was done in a college by collecting comments and suggestions so as to correct and modify the questionnaires. A four-page questionnaire based on the Likert scale with 45 questions was used for data collection, and 210 valid questionnaires were collected from a research institute, a software company and an educational institute. Finally, SPSS17.0 was used to analyze these data, including reliability analysis, validity analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis, etc.
Findings
The findings include: there is a positive correlation between employees’ compulsory bond and the efficiency of tacit knowledge sharing; there is a positive correlation between employees’ expressive bond and the efficiency of tacit knowledge sharing; there is a negative correlation between employees’ instrumental bond and the efficiency of tacit knowledge sharing; the more apt employees are at self-monitoring, the more effectively they will share tacit knowledge; the interaction between compulsory bonds and self-monitoring has a positive and stimulating impact on tacit knowledge sharing; the interaction between expressive bonds and self-monitoring has a positive and stimulating impact on tacit knowledge sharing; and the interaction between instrumental bonds and self-monitoring has a certain impact on tacit knowledge sharing.
Research limitations/implications
However, the efficiency of tacit knowledge sharing cannot be measured easily and how to share the tacit knowledge based on employees’ relationships should be further concerned by knowledge industries.
Practical implications
This paper illustrates multiple, in-depth approaches to research on knowledge sharing. It shows why it is important to pay attention to employees’ relationships during the process of tacit knowledge sharing. The author argued some key factors such as compulsory bond, emotional bond and self-monitoring that may have a certain impact on the tacit knowledge sharing. The paper also further discussed the influence on the sharing of tacit knowledge as for the interaction between different relationship types and self-monitoring.
Social implications
The knowledge is critical to enhance enterprises’ performance, and it will become more useful when the new knowledge is shared with others. However, tacit knowledge cannot be measured easily, and how to share the tacit knowledge based on employees’ relationships should be further concerned by knowledge industries. A series of findings are proposed in this paper.
Originality/value
Integrating the knowledge of different individuals, of which 90 per cent is tacit knowledge, in an organization that engages in producing products and providing service is instrumental to the sustainability and productivity of that organization. This study addressed the factors and dynamics of tacit knowledge sharing that can be used in knowledge management to effectively capture, store and disseminate tacit knowledge across an organization.
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Bojan Obrenovic, Jianguo Du, Danijela Godinić and Diana Tsoy
This study aims to examine psychological mechanisms underlying tacit knowledge-sharing behaviours. The personality trait of conscientiousness is tested in relation to knowledge…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine psychological mechanisms underlying tacit knowledge-sharing behaviours. The personality trait of conscientiousness is tested in relation to knowledge sharing, and the effect of eagerness and subjective norm on the intention to share is measured in the context of local and multinational knowledge-intensive enterprises in Croatia.
Design/methodology/approach
The quantitative study was conducted on a sample of 288 employees of small and medium-sized companies working on knowledge-intensive tasks. The purposive sampling technique and a survey strategy were used in the study. Organizational affiliation, as it was presumed that these individuals possess a higher degree of tacit knowledge. The data collection was conducted in October 2019. Respondents worked in science and technology companies in Croatia on assignments involving information technology, electronics, petrochemicals, medicine and biochemistry. Statistical product and service solutions analysis of a moment structures software was used to perform confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.
Findings
The findings suggest that the personality trait of conscientiousness has a positive impact on tacit knowledge sharing behaviour. An attitude of eagerness and subjective norm were also confirmed as predictors of tacit knowledge sharing behaviour. Furthermore, conscientiousness influences the eagerness to share knowledge. A significant association between subjective norm and conscientiousness was also established. Finally, the mediating effects were identified, indicating that subjective norm and eagerness mediate the relationship between conscientiousness and tacit knowledge sharing.
Practical implications
Explaining the relationship between personality and attitude in the context of knowledge sharing will result in a better understanding of factors that should be nurtured within individuals. Accordingly, distinct management initiatives are to be developed to suit these factors. Furthermore, to intensify the knowledge exchange when working on knowledge-intensive tasks of significant economic value, organizations tailor a more particularistic application to suit the individual in the domain of leadership, staffing decisions, work organization and incentive systems.
Originality/value
This study provides an in-depth analysis and theoretical understanding of factors salient for knowledge-sharing behaviour. The authors provide an overview of how knowledge sharing evolves during social interaction through intensive problem-solving sessions and teamwork. The authors render the explanation on how the personality trait of conscientiousness, conjoint with the attitude of eagerness to share know-how in the expert surrounding, is conducive to the generation of tacit knowledge sharing. Underpinning this study are employees’ psychological motives and internal drives to communicate individual cognitive capital outweighing the potential negative consequences, such as losing the competitive advantage over the colleagues.
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Nan Wang, Jielin Yin, Zhenzhong Ma and Maolin Liao
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of organizational rewards on two forms of knowledge sharing – explicit knowledge sharing and tacit knowledge sharing in virtual…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of organizational rewards on two forms of knowledge sharing – explicit knowledge sharing and tacit knowledge sharing in virtual communities, and further to explore the mediating effect of intrinsic motivation on the effect of virtual community rewards on implicit knowledge sharing.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on relevant knowledge sharing theories, this study develops an integrated framework to explore virtual community rewards and tacit and explicit knowledge sharing in a virtual context. This study then collected data from 429 virtual community users in four virtual communities via an online survey. Hierarchical regression analyzes were used to test the proposed research model.
Findings
The results of this study show that virtual rewards have a significantly positive linear relationship with explicit knowledge sharing but have an inverse U-shape relationship with tacit knowledge sharing in virtual communities. In addition, intrinsic motivations including enjoyment and self-efficacy mediate the relationship between rewards and tacit knowledge sharing.
Practical implications
This study suggests more virtual community rewards may not always lead to more tacit knowledge sharing. Instead, too many rewards may weaken the motivation for tacit knowledge sharing. Knowledge management practitioners should make full use of the positive impact of self-efficacy and enjoyment to set up appropriate reward incentives to encourage knowledge-sharing, in particular, tacit knowledge sharing and to better manage virtual communities.
Originality/value
This study explores knowledge-sharing behavior in virtual communities, an important step toward more integrated knowledge-sharing theories. While online communities have become increasingly important for today’s knowledge economy, few studies have explored knowledge and knowledge sharing in a virtual context and this study helps to bridge the gap. In addition, this study develops an integrated framework to explore the mechanism through which virtual community rewards affect knowledge sharing with intrinsic motivation mediating this relationship in online communities, which further enriches the understanding on how to use virtual rewards to motivate knowledge sharing behaviors in the virtual context.
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Halimah Abdul Manaf, William S. Harvey, Steven J. Armstrong and Alan Lawton
This study aims to identify differences in knowledge-sharing mechanisms and personality among expert, typical and novice managers within the Malaysian public sector. Strengthening…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify differences in knowledge-sharing mechanisms and personality among expert, typical and novice managers within the Malaysian public sector. Strengthening knowledge sharing function is essential for enabling public institutions around the world to be more productive.
Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative study involves 308 employees from management and professional groups within 98 local authorities in the Malaysian local government. Stratified random sampling techniques were used and the sampling frame comprised 1,000 staff using postal surveys. Data analyses were carried out using analysis of variance and correlations to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
The findings reveal that expert managers are more proactive in sharing their knowledge, particularly those with the personality traits of conscientiousness and openness. These two personality traits were also related to expert behaviours such as thoroughness, responsibility and persistence, which led to work competency and managerial success.
Originality/value
This study provides theoretical insights into how managerial tacit knowledge differs and can accumulate, depending on the personality traits of middle managers. The paper shows the different mechanisms of knowledge sharing, tacit knowledge and personality among expert, typical and novice managers. Practically, this study is important for guiding senior managers in their attempts to identify the most appropriate personalities of their middle managers. This study found that the expert group was higher in conscientiousness, openness and overall personality traits compared with the typical and novice groups. The paper also highlights the value of sharing managerial tacit knowledge effectively.
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Shahbaz Sharif, Rab Nawaz Lodhi, Khurshed Iqbal and Fahad Saddique
This study aims to use an authentic leadership style to explore that whether male or female leadership of private academic institutions highly influences affective organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to use an authentic leadership style to explore that whether male or female leadership of private academic institutions highly influences affective organizational commitment and tacit knowledge sharing among the library teachers. Additionally, this study encompasses the trust of library teachers and justifies whether the trust under male or female leadership highly moderates the effect on tacit knowledge sharing.
Design/methodology/approach
By using structural equation modeling, this study tests two leadership models (e.g. male and female leadership models). Using a convenient sampling approach, the researcher collects data from library teachers of private academic institutions in district Sheikhupura, Pakistan through face-to-face interaction. The study administered 650 survey questionnaires among the library teachers; however, 403 questionnaires were answered validly and reliably. The response rate was 62%.
Findings
The study found the direct and indirect effect of authentic leadership on affective organizational commitment and tacit knowledge sharing however, male authentic leadership influence on affective organizational commitment and tacit knowledge sharing was quite higher than female authentic leadership. Resultantly, the library teachers were more committed to sharing tacit knowledge under male leadership than female. Nevertheless, the moderating role of trust was found in female leadership but not in male leadership. Simply, the library teachers under male leadership were hesitant to trust others, so the chain of sharing hidden ideas and image of libraries was not found in male leadership.
Practical implications
Private academic institutions need authentic leaders to shape the knowledge economy of libraries and the structure of the academic institutions. For this reason, this study provides practical implications for managers that male leadership should be hired in academic institutions because it has a higher influence on librarians’ commitment and tacit knowledge sharing among peers as compare to female leadership.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first study that differentiates the capabilities and skills of male and female authentic leadership in private academic institutions. Further, it suggests hiring male leaders in these institutions.
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This study aims to examine the underlying process through which emotional intelligence impacts employees’ innovative work behaviour by testing the mediating role played by tacit…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the underlying process through which emotional intelligence impacts employees’ innovative work behaviour by testing the mediating role played by tacit knowledge sharing in organizations. The direct and indirect effects of emotional intelligence on innovative work behaviour of employees were explored.
Design/methodology/approach
A structured survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 171 full-time employees of five high-tech knowledge-intensive organizations located in India. The hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results revealed that emotional intelligence had a direct positive impact on tacit knowledge sharing and innovative work behaviour of employees. Similarly, tacit knowledge sharing positively influenced innovative work behaviour. The study further showed that the relationship between emotional intelligence and innovative work behaviour was partially mediated by tacit knowledge sharing.
Practical implications
To enhance innovative behaviour at work, organizations should concentrate on building the emotional competencies of its employees to increase their emotional intelligence level through suitable training programs. Besides, organizations should also focus on shaping a knowledge-sharing culture by building systems and processes through which free exchange of tacit knowledge among employees can be promoted to enhance their innovative work behaviour.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing pool of knowledge by demonstrating the unexplored effect of emotional intelligence on innovative work behaviour via the mediating role of tacit knowledge sharing. It also advances current literature on emotional intelligence, tacit knowledge sharing and innovative work behaviour by discussing useful theoretical implications of the findings.
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