Showing papers on "Knowledge sharing published in 2009"
TL;DR: In this article, a model of knowledge sharing motivation based on a combination of the theory of planned behavior and self-determination theory is presented, along with suggestions for future research and methodologies to study knowledgesharing behavior.
Abstract: In this article, I present a model of knowledge-sharing motivation based on a combination of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and self-determination theory (SDT), along with a review of research supporting the model and suggestions for future research and methodologies to study knowledgesharing behavior. I also give suggestions for designing five important human resource management (HRM) practices, including staffing, job design, performance and compensation systems, managerial styles, and training. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
555 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found that knowledge sharing and team culture have an important influence on service innovation performance and that to achieve high service innovation, organizations first need to develop knowledge sharing behaviors plus a better team culture.
538 citations
01 Mar 2009
TL;DR: It is proposed that knowledge management system (KMS) users' beliefs are contextually differentiated, and thus a distinction between knowledge-contribution and knowledge-seeking behaviors and an adequate emphasis on their variance in terms of user belief is needed.
Abstract: Knowledge management (KM) research has yielded extensive explanations regarding the individual's motivation to share knowledge, each with different sets of factors. Yet the study of continued knowledge sharing is rare. There has been little research investigating this issue from contributing and seeking perspectives-the two distinct, but closely interrelated, facets of continued knowledge sharing. We propose that knowledge management system (KMS) users' beliefs are contextually differentiated, and thus a distinction between knowledge-contribution and knowledge-seeking behaviors and an adequate emphasis on their variance in terms of user belief is needed. By incorporating the knowledge-contribution and knowledge-seeking perspectives in a single study, we model and examine the differences among driving factors in two behavioral contexts, provide the conceptual comparisons and preliminary discussions, and thus advance our understanding of continued knowledge sharing via the KMS.
447 citations
TL;DR: An integrated model designed to investigate and explain the relationships between contextual factors, personal perceptions of knowledge sharing, knowledge sharing behavior, and community loyalty is developed and shows that trust significantly influences knowledge sharing self-efficacy, perceived relative advantage and perceived compatibility.
444 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed and tested a theoretical model of the impact of formal and informal socialization mechanisms on the level of knowledge sharing within interorganizational product development projects and the subsequent effect on buyer firm performance.
433 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a design experiment was conducted over three successive school years, with the teacher's goal of having his Grade 4 students assume increasing levels of collective responsibility for advancing their knowledge of optics.
Abstract: This article reports a design experiment conducted over three successive school years, with the teacher's goal of having his Grade 4 students assume increasing levels of collective responsibility for advancing their knowledge of optics. Classroom practices conducive to sustained knowledge building were co-constructed by the teacher and students, with Knowledge Forum software supporting the production and refinement of the community's knowledge. Social network analysis and qualitative analyses were used to assess online participatory patterns and knowledge advances, focusing on indicators of collective cognitive responsibility. Data indicate increasingly effective procedures, mirrored in students' knowledge advances, corresponding to the following organizations: (a) Year 1—fixed small-groups; (b) Year 2—interacting small-groups with substantial cross-group knowledge sharing; and (c) Year 3—opportunistic collaboration, with small teams forming and disbanding under the volition of community members, based on...
409 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that job design matters to knowledge sharing for motivational reasons, and they develop six hypotheses that unfold these ideas and test them on the basis of individual-level data collected within a single firm.
Abstract: Job design is one of the most frequently researched practices in the Human Resource Management (HRM) literature, and knowledge sharing has become an important and heavily researched managerial practice The links between these practices, however, have received little attention in the literature We argue that job design matters to knowledge sharing for motivational reasons Specifically, jobs contain characteristics that stimulate different kinds of motivation toward knowledge sharing, which have different effects on individual knowledge sharing behavior We develop six hypotheses that unfold these ideas and test them on the basis of individual-level data collected within a single firm The hypotheses are tested in a LISREL model that confirms that job characteristics, such as autonomy, task identity, and feedback, determine different motivations to share knowledge, which in turn predict employees' knowledge sharing behaviors © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
396 citations
TL;DR: The authors reveal four key determinants of knowledge sharing using Web 2.0 technologies: history, outcome expectations, perceived organizational or management support and trust.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key determinants of knowledge sharing and collaboration using Web 2.0 technologies by exploring the reasons for and barriers to employees' active participation in its various platforms within a large multinational firm.Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a case study design. In total, 11 in‐depth interviews were conducted. In addition, secondary data was collected. The data was analysed using a grounded approach.Findings – The authors reveal four key determinants of knowledge sharing using Web 2.0 technologies: history, outcome expectations, perceived organizational or management support and trust.Research limitations/implications – The limitations are related to the small sample size and the assumptions on which the study was based. First, Web 2.0 technologies were perceived as a single set of technologies whose adoption and use is determined by the same range of factors. Secondly, the study assumes that knowledge sharing using We...
387 citations
TL;DR: In this article, social interaction between managers from different units of a multinational enterprise (MNE) has been shown to be an important factor stimulating intra-MNE knowledge-sharing.
Abstract: Social interaction between managers from different units of a multinational enterprise (MNE) has been shown to be an important factor stimulating intra-MNE knowledge-sharing. Face-to-face social interactions form a communication channel particularly conducive to the transfer of tacit, non-codified knowledge. But intensive social interaction also provides opportunities for social construction of knowledge in a learning dialogue. The first explanation (sender–receiver) makes us expect social interaction to moderate positively the effects of the factors giving rise to knowledge flows in the first place, such as differences in capabilities between MNE subsidiaries. The second perspective (social learning) also grants an independent effect to social interaction as a main factor stimulating intra-MNE knowledge flows. We formulate hypotheses based on both perspectives, and test these on data from 169 MNE subsidiaries. Our findings show a considerable main effect of social interaction on all intra-MNE knowledge flows, confirming the expectations based on the social learning model. Interaction effects, based on the predictions of the sender–receiver model, are only partly confirmed. These findings suggest that future research should devote more attention to the social constitution of MNE knowledge.
366 citations
TL;DR: There is no dominant trend in how the CoP concept is operationalized in the business and health sectors; hence, it is challenging to define the parameters of CoP groups.
Abstract: Since being identified as a concept for understanding knowledge sharing, management, and creation, communities of practice (CoPs) have become increasingly popular within the health sector. The CoP concept has been used in the business sector for over 20 years, but the use of CoPs in the health sector has been limited in comparison. First, we examined how CoPs were defined and used in these two sectors. Second, we evaluated the evidence of effectiveness on the health sector CoPs for improving the uptake of best practices and mentoring new practitioners. We conducted a search of electronic databases in the business, health, and education sectors, and a hand search of key journals for primary studies on CoP groups. Our research synthesis for the first objective focused on three areas: the authors' interpretations of the CoP concept, the key characteristics of CoP groups, and the common elements of CoP groups. To examine the evidence on the effectiveness of CoPs in the health sector, we identified articles that evaluated CoPs for improving health professional performance, health care organizational performance, professional mentoring, and/or patient outcome; and used experimental, quasi-experimental, or observational designs. The structure of CoP groups varied greatly, ranging from voluntary informal networks to work-supported formal education sessions, and from apprentice training to multidisciplinary, multi-site project teams. Four characteristics were identified from CoP groups: social interaction among members, knowledge sharing, knowledge creation, and identity building; however, these were not consistently present in all CoPs. There was also a lack of clarity in the responsibilities of CoP facilitators and how power dynamics should be handled within a CoP group. We did not find any paper in the health sector that met the eligibility criteria for the quantitative analysis, and so the effectiveness of CoP in this sector remained unclear. There is no dominant trend in how the CoP concept is operationalized in the business and health sectors; hence, it is challenging to define the parameters of CoP groups. This may be one of the reasons for the lack of studies on the effectiveness of CoPs in the health sector. In order to improve the usefulness of the CoP concept in the development of groups and teams, further research will be needed to clarify the extent to which the four characteristics of CoPs are present in the mature and emergent groups, the expectations of facilitators and other participants, and the power relationship within CoPs.
333 citations
TL;DR: A distinction was made between two approaches towards managing knowledge sharing: an emergent approach, focusing on the social dynamics between organizational members and the nature of their daily tasks, and an engineering approach, focus on management interventions to facilitate knowledge transfer.
TL;DR: The findings indicate that individuals do, indeed, differ in their emphasis on the identified dimensions when they engage in the two activities, and these differences have implications for future research and practice.
Abstract: Research Article The chief objective in many online communities is to allow for knowledge sharing and learning, which is enabled by technologies such as discussion forums. The value realized from these communities depends on ongoing participation in terms of two key activities i.e., knowledge seeking and contribution. However, a large number of communities fail, as they cannot sustain these activities. This poses the question of how these two activities can be simultaneously promoted. While previous research has separately explicated a number of different antecedents for the two activities, this study adopts a socio-technical perspective of an online community and considers usability and sociability as two salient antecedents applicable to both activities. Usability and sociability are multi-dimensional constructs, where individual's perceptions of the two may be determined by dimensions such as ease of use and social interactivity. This paper proposes that individuals may place different importance on these dimensions when seeking knowledge, compared to contributing knowledge. The research model is tested through a survey of users of a learning-focused community system. Our findings indicate that individuals do, indeed, differ in their emphasis on the identified dimensions when they engage in the two activities. Specifically, ease of use and system reliability are considered as more important for usability, and moderator perception as more important for sociability when individuals seek knowledge. On the other hand, individuals perceive tracking fulfillment as more important for usability and social interactivity as more important for sociability when they contribute knowledge. These differences have implications for future research and practice.
TL;DR: Controlled experiments are advocated and described that can provide needed information regarding Web 2.0 tools and related practice changes that could help the IS discipline better assess whether or not new practices would be superior to existing ones and under which circumstances.
Abstract: This paper argues that Web 2.0 tools, specifically wikis, have begun to influence business and knowledge sharing practices in many organizations. Information Systems researchers have spent considerable time exploring the impact and implications of these tools in organizations, but those same researchers have not spent sufficient time considering whether and how these new technologies may provide opportunities for us to reform our core practices of research, review, and teaching. To this end, this paper calls for the IS discipline to engage in two actions related to wikis and other Web 2.0 tools. First, the IS discipline ought to engage in critical reflection about how wikis and other Web 2.0 tools could allow us to conduct our core processes differently. Our existing practices were formulated during an era of paper-based exchange; wikis and other Web 2.0 tools may enable processes that could be substantively better. Nevertheless, users can appropriate information technology tools in unexpected ways, and even when tools are appropriated as expected there can be unintended negative consequences. Any potential changes to our core processes should, therefore, be considered critically and carefully, leading to our second recommended action. We advocate and describe a series of controlled experiments that will help assess the impact of these technologies on our core processes and the associated changes that would be necessary to use them. We argue that these experiments can provide needed information regarding Web 2.0 tools and related practice changes that could help the discipline better assess whether or not new practices would be superior to existing ones and under which circumstances.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Attitude, subjective norm, Web-specific self-efficacy and social network ties are shown to be good predictors of knowledge sharing intention which, in turn, is significantly associated with knowledge sharing behavior.
Abstract: Increasing organizations and educational institutions have implemented virtual learning communities to encourage knowledge sharing. However, this task can not be accomplished simply by grouping people together and telling them “sharing your knowledge will make you learn better”. This research attempts to examine the factors influencing knowledge sharing from the perspective of human behavior. Theory of Planned Behavior is integrated with social network ties and empirical findings from virtual learning community literature to develop the research model. The current research model comprises eight hypotheses to explore questions of whether social network ties, learners’ attitude toward knowledge sharing, learners’ beliefs of their capabilities in performing online knowledge sharing, and subjective norms relate to knowledge sharing intention, which leads to actual behavior in a virtual learning environment. This study empirically validates the hypothesized relationships using a field survey of college students and MBA students enrolling courses conducted in a virtual learning community. Attitude, subjective norm, Web-specific self-efficacy and social network ties are shown to be good predictors of knowledge sharing intention which, in turn, is significantly associated with knowledge sharing behavior. Knowledge creation self-efficacy does not significantly impact knowledge sharing intention.
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study where a collaborative knowledge management solution is implemented across a multi-functional construction company is presented, where a social web application was implemented to solve a particular knowledge sharing problem within the organisation's concrete pumping business.
TL;DR: The new KSB scale developed in this study is a 4-dimensional, 28-item, 5-response choice frequency scale that includes written contributions, organizational communications, personal interactions, and communities of practices dimensions.
Abstract: The concept of knowledge sharing is getting more and more attention in the research and practice of knowledge management. It is necessary to develop relevant performance assessment and reward systems to encourage people's knowledge sharing behaviors (KSBs). Till now, little effort has been put into developing a valid and reliable measure of KSB. The primary purpose of this study is to develop a new measure of KSB with desirable psychometric properties – a well-developed KSB scale with a sufficient level of reliability and validity. This main objective was achieved by using the following procedures: (1) specify domain of construct, (2) generate scale items, (3) purify scale, and (4) validate scale. The new KSB scale developed in this study is a 4-dimensional, 28-item, 5-response choice frequency scale. The scale includes written contributions, organizational communications, personal interactions, and communities of practices dimensions. The results provided evidence of the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the KSB scale.
TL;DR: In this paper, a research model based on knowledge sharing and group cohesiveness was proposed to examine team performance in technology R&D teams, which is composed of two parts: knowledge sharing predicted by TMS and trust, and team performance predicted by knowledge sharing.
20 Jun 2009
TL;DR: The study reported here sought to obtain the clear articulation of asynchronous computer-mediated discourse needed for Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia’s knowledge-creation model by applying a coding scheme to the asynchronous online discourses of four groups of secondary school students.
Abstract: The study reported here sought to obtain the clear articulation of asynchronous computer-mediated discourse needed for Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia’s knowledge-creation model. Distinctions were set up between three modes of discourse: knowledge sharing, knowledge construction, and knowledge creation. These were applied to the asynchronous online discourses of four groups of secondary school students (40 students in total) who studied aspects of an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and related topics. The participants completed a pretest of relevant knowledge and a collaborative summary note in Knowledge Forum, in which they self-assessed their collective knowledge advances. A coding scheme was then developed and applied to the group discourses to obtain a possible explanation of the between-group differences in the performance of the summary notes and examine the discourses as examples of the three modes. The findings indicate that the group with the best summary note was involved in a threshold knowledge-creation discourse. Of the other groups, one engaged in a knowledge-sharing discourse and the discourses of other two groups were hybrids of all three modes. Several strategies for cultivating knowledge-creation discourse are proposed.
TL;DR: Results show that tacit knowledge sharing intention can be induced by affect-based trust, however, shared value is negatively related to tacit knowledge share intention and the moderating effect of external control is taken into account.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the factors and barriers that contribute to successful knowledge sharing among the university teaching staff and identified measures of knowledge sharing, such as nature of knowledge, working culture, staff attitudes, motivation to share and opportunities to share.
Abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the factors and barriers that contribute to successful knowledge sharing among the university teaching staff.Design/methodology/approach – Based on an extensive review of literature, measures of knowledge sharing are identified. These include such factors as nature of knowledge, working culture, staff attitudes, motivation to share and opportunities to share. A model is developed for the study and hypotheses are formulated. Primary data were collected through a survey from a sample of teaching staff from both public and private universities in Malaysia.Findings – Based on empirical research, the study shows some contrasting findings. As for the sample drawn from teaching staff belonging to public universities, there is a significant relationship between knowledge sharing and the independent factors mentioned earlier. Results from the sample from staff teaching in private universities do not show such relationships.Research limitations/implications – The sample size it...
TL;DR: It is found that psychological safety increases with the frequency of communication among coworkers and that the confidence of employees in their knowledge is related to the codifiability of the knowledge involved.
Abstract: This research empirically examines the influence of psychological safety on knowledge sharing among coworkers in manufacturing and service operations contexts. Reconciling conflicting findings in the literature, we demonstrate that whereas psychological safety is an important antecedent of knowledge sharing, the relationship between psychological safety and knowledge sharing is moderated by the level of confidence that employees have in what they know. The greater this confidence, the lesser is the importance of psychological safety in facilitating knowledge sharing. Linking this result to social network theory, we find that psychological safety increases with the frequency of communication among coworkers and that the confidence of employees in their knowledge is related to the codifiability of the knowledge involved. We further investigate direct and indirect antecedents of psychological safety. This research offers insights into actions that managers can take to enhance psychological safety and, consequently, motivate their employees to share knowledge.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the level of correlation between scientific productivity and collaboration intensity as a whole, both internationally and with private organizations, using a bibliometric type of approach, which equates collaboration with the co-authorship of scientific publications.
Abstract: The incidence of extramural collaboration in academic research activities is increasing as a result of various factors. These factors include policy measures aimed at fostering partnership and networking among the various components of the research system, policies which are in turn justified by the idea that knowledge sharing could increase the effectiveness of the system. Over the last two decades, the scientific community has also stepped up activities to assess the actual impact of collaboration intensity on the performance of research systems. This study draws on a number of empirical analyses, with the intention of measuring the effects of extramural collaboration on research performance and, indirectly, verifying the legitimacy of policies that support this type of collaboration. The analysis focuses on the Italian academic research system. The aim of the work is to assess the level of correlation, at institutional level, between scientific productivity and collaboration intensity as a whole, both internationally and with private organizations. This will be carried out using a bibliometric type of approach, which equates collaboration with the co-authorship of scientific publications.
TL;DR: A framework for the wiki adoption process is proposed which may be used as a guide for in future adoption by organizations from the non‐technology as well as technology‐based sectors.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide organizations which are keen to implement wikis with insight into its usefulness and possible role in the knowledge sharing and management process through lessons learnt from implementation of wikis by organizations ranging from SMEs with less than ten users to those with a vast network of 193 million members. These organizations are from the non‐technology as well as technology‐based sectors.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a general review. It provides a background into the advent of wikis and briefly discusses related work on use of Wikis in corporate, public and educational context. This is followed by review of three case studies carried out on implementation of wikis and an analysis of the review.Findings – The review proposes a framework for the wiki adoption process which may be used as a guide for in future adoption by organizations. It also found that some benefits which move these organizations towards the usage of wikis...
TL;DR: In this paper, a preliminary model has been proposed highlighting the role of organizational learning and knowledge management in innovation, highlighting the importance of a flexible and adaptive organization structure, a culture of trust and knowledge sharing, a strong technological network and a committed leadership to promote knowledge development and learning in the organization which is a prerequisite for in...
Abstract: This article reviews the role of organizational learning and knowledge management in innovation. An extensive review of past literature hints that knowledge, although a very strategic resource, is not easy to manage. Explicit knowledge can be stored in databases or documents but implicit knowledge resides in peoples’, brains. It is the management of this knowledge which poses a bigger challenge for most organizations. Past research mentions that implicit knowledge can be managed indirectly by managing various factors which contribute to an organization's culture, structure, technology, and leadership. A preliminary model has been proposed highlighting the role of organizational learning and knowledge management in innovation. The model high-lights the importance of a flexible and adaptive organization structure, a culture of trust and knowledge sharing, a strong technological network and a committed leadership to promote knowledge development and learning in the organization which is a prerequisite for in...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined firm-level performance implications of strategic alliances by employing knowledge management practices as intermediaries and found that joint ventures as opposed to contractual alliances are more effective and influential in facilitating knowledge sharing and creation.
TL;DR: In this paper, an ad hoc questionnaire was designed and addressed to the CEOs of the companies making up the target population of the research (Spanish manufacturing firms with more than 50 employees and R&D activities).
Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this paper is to test empirically the degree of influence of different knowledge‐sharing mechanisms on the innovation capability of firms, as well as to analyse the degree of relevance of each innovation capability dimension to value creation. Additionally, the role of technology intensity as a moderator variable of the aforementioned relationships is examined.Design/methodology/approach – An ad hoc questionnaire was designed and addressed to the CEOs of the companies making up the target population of the research (Spanish manufacturing firms with more than 50 employees and R&D activities). Structural equation modeling (SEM) based on partial least squares (PLS) was then applied in order to test the main hypotheses of the research.Findings – The results obtained show that knowledge sharing is a key issue in order to enhance the innovation capability of firms. Nevertheless, depending on the innovation capability dimension being considered and on the technology intensity of the firm, th...
TL;DR: A comparison between the two companies revealed that the organization-specific context in which the coordination is applied influences the potential of this coordination for knowledge sharing.
TL;DR: The authors explored four contexts of interunit interaction (interunit meetings, project groups, cross-border teams, and expatriate/ repatriate interactions) and examined the extent to which they are associated with social capital and knowledge sharing.
Abstract: Firms use different structural arrangements to carry out their internal work, and interunit interactions that take place in the context of these arrangements may have different consequences for knowledge sharing. We explore four contexts of such interunit interaction—interunit meetings, project groups, cross-border teams, and expatriate/ repatriate interactions—and we examine the extent to which they are associated with social capital and knowledge sharing. Data from structured interviews with multinational corporation (MNC) managers, which we explored using MANCOVA/ANCOVA and regression analysis, showed that cross-border and expatriate/repatriate interaction contexts are associated with more interpersonal trust and shared cognitive ground than interunit meeting and project group ones, and the expatriate/repatriate context with more shared cognitive ground than all other contexts. The regression results show a significant relationship between the cross-border team and expatriate/repatriate contexts and knowledge sharing. We also find that affective and cognitive social capital mediate the relationship between cross-border team and expatriate/repatriate contexts and knowledge sharing. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: The interview responses show that at the managerial level both private and public agencies have overcome the identified barriers that set back the knowledge sharing, while from the questionnaires it is found at the employee level that several cultural barriers are still present.
Abstract: – This paper aims to identify the cultural barriers that set back knowledge production and sharing in organizations of the Municipality of Caguas at the Commonwealth of the Puerto Rico in order to find effective ways to overcome them. The purpose is to explore how the enterprise promotes efficiency among employees and how they develop a suitable environment for knowledge production and sharing., – The qualitative research consists of in‐depth interviews, carried out to management personnel, and questionnaires submitted to the employees. Two hypotheses are developed and tested using the results obtained from four organizations, public and private., – The interview responses show that at the managerial level both private and public agencies have overcome the identified barriers that set back the knowledge sharing, while from the questionnaires it is found at the employee level that several cultural barriers such as organizational environment, emotional intelligence and managers' commitment are still present., – Although limited by the small sample of critical actors, this study includes international and regional organizations that serve the Municipality of Caguas. The results may set a basis to develop a methodology to analyze the presence or absence of cultural barriers in other organizations, and municipalities of Puerto Rico., – This investigation may be used to develop standard procedures to cope with culture differences when establishing a suitable environment for knowledge production and sharing among employees.
TL;DR: The dimensions of social relationship and its importance in the use of a KMS by employees are explored and social capital theory was employed to establish the social relationship construct and its three dimensions: tie strength, shared norms, and trust.