Exploring employee perceptions of Web 2.0 virtual communities from the perspective of knowledge sharing

2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yalan Yan ◽  
Xianjin Zha ◽  
Ming Yan
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Employee Perceptions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Trust And Reciprocity ◽  
Knowledge Seeking

Purpose – With the development of Web 2.0 virtual communities, the authors see a useful platform for knowledge sharing. However, knowledge sharing in virtual communities still remains a big challenge given the concern of knowledge quantity and quality. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of individual differences on knowledge contributing, knowledge seeking, trust and norm of reciprocity. This study also explores the mean difference between knowledge seeking and knowledge contributing as well as the correlations between knowledge seeking, knowledge contributing, trust and reciprocity so as to provide some guidance for knowledge management practice in China. Design/methodology/approach – Data collected from 430 users of Web 2.0 virtual communities were used for data analysis. The independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), paired samples t-test and correlation analysis were employed. Findings – The independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA present the effect of individual differences on knowledge contributing, knowledge seeking, trust and norm of reciprocity. The paired samples t-test suggests that employees are more likely to seek knowledge from than contribute knowledge to Web 2.0 virtual communities. The correlation analysis suggests there are positive correlations between knowledge contributing, knowledge seeking, trust and reciprocity. Practical implications – Knowledge management initiatives in Chinese organizations are encountered relatively less frequently, compared with western countries. The authors suggest the findings of this study provide useful insights into the informal knowledge sharing in Web 2.0 virtual communities, which is helpful for guiding knowledge management practice in China. Originality/value – Based on knowledge quantity and knowledge quality whose significance cannot be over-emphasized in virtual communities, this study explores employee perceptions of Web 2.0 virtual communities from the perspective of knowledge sharing, which the authors think provides a new view for knowledge sharing research and practice alike in China.

Factors affecting Web 2.0 adoption: exploring the knowledge sharing and knowledge seeking aspects in health care professionals

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jang Bahadur Singh ◽  
Rajesh Chandwani ◽  
Mayank Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intrinsic Motivators ◽  
Knowledge Seeking

Purpose This research aims to explore the factors that affect the adoption of Web 2.0 among knowledge workers. The research specifically investigated the role of factors related to both knowledge seeking and knowledge sharing, in the context of Web 2.0 use by health care professionals. Design/methodology/approach For this research, a cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The data were analyzed using the partial least square-structural equation modeling. Findings The results confirmed that the intention to adopt Web 2.0 depends upon both the knowledge-seeking and the knowledge-sharing attitudes. However, between the two, it is knowledge-sharing factors that are more important. Health care professionals tend to share knowledge driven by intrinsic motivators rather than by extrinsic motivators. On the other hand, knowledge-seeking attitude was determined by usefulness of knowledge and was not affected by the effort involved. Research limitations/implications All the respondents were health care professionals from India, and convenience sampling was used to reach them. This may limit the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications This research provides useful insights on implementing Web 2.0-based knowledge management systems, specifically for health care professionals. Particularly, it emphasizes the need to focus on reinforcing intrinsic motivators like self-efficacy and the joy of sharing. Originality/value It is perhaps the first study that integrates the factors related to knowledge sharing and seeking in a single theoretical model, thereby presents and tests a more realistic model of knowledge management.

Knowledge-sharing behaviour in public service organisations: determinants and the roles of affective commitment and normative commitment

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roziah Mohd Rasdi ◽  
Gangeswari Tangaraja
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Time Availability

Purpose Compared with the extensive research on knowledge management in the Western context, relatively little research has emerged in Asia. This study aims to report an investigation of the predictors of knowledge-sharing behaviour (KSB) of Malaysian public service administrators. Design/methodology/approach Surveys were designed based on established instruments and yielded 231 responses from administrators of various managerial grades. Findings The findings indicated that KSB was predicted by intrinsic motivational factors, time availability and organisational socialisation. Further, the findings showed that affective commitment towards the organisations is the key intermediate factor to enable intrinsically motivated administrators to engage in KSB. Research limitations/implications This study examined motivational factors among the public sector administrators only. Thus, it limits the findings generalisation to other groups of employees such as from the private sector and non-governmental organisations. Practical implications The findings of this study shall enlighten organisations particularly the public sector organisations, in strategies and plan of action towards enhancing and advancing knowledge management practice among employees. Originality/value This paper offers new insight into the significance of intrinsic motivational factors which enhanced with employees’ commitment to fostering KSB in organisations.

Knowledge management strategies for sustaining Lesson Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-178
Author(s):  
Eric C.K. Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is explore the relative effectiveness of people-based and information technology-based knowledge management (KM) strategies as implemented by principals in Hong Kong schools to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study for teachers’ knowledge sharing and internalization. Design/methodology/approach Data from 184 principals in Hong Kong were collected by a cross-sectional quantitative survey. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests have been used to examine the constructed validity and reliability of the instrument. A structural equation model was applied to confirm the predictive effect of people-based and information technology-based KM strategies on teachers’ knowledge sharing and internalization through Lesson Study. Findings Results show that people-based KM strategy predicts knowledge sharing and internalization by and among teachers. However, while information technology-based knowledge management strategies predict teachers’ knowledge sharing, they do not predict how effectively they internalize knowledge. Practical implications Cultivating communities of practice, professional learning communities and mentoring schemes in schools can nurture a knowledge-sharing culture to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study for teacher learning. Institutionalizing an information technology system can help teachers to retrieve, share and store the school’s explicit knowledge. Originality/value The paper not only suggests school management strategies and practices for school leaders to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study, but also brings a new research dimension, KM, to the research area.

Beginning a journey of knowledge management in a secondary school

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 364-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Wing Chu
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Digital Archive ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Despite the fact that schools should be places where learning occurs, most schools have overlooked the importance of knowledge. In contrast, commercial firms have recognized knowledge as a strategic intangible asset and a key resource of the enterprises. Therefore, enterprises have already harnessed knowledge to a great extent with wide practice of knowledge management (KM). The purpose of this paper is to show that KM could be applied to the education sector similar to the practice in the business world for leveraging intellectual assets. This paper examines how schools can kick off the process of KM implementation. This paper also reports what have been done and what should be done in KM implementation better in a school. This can give insights for schools which will try KM in near future. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a case study in a secondary school to explore how KM can be kicked off and sustained in a school setting. A KM system called knowledge base and a document management system called Digital Archive were developed to serve as the infrastructure for knowledge sharing. Lesson study and communities of practice (CoPs) were adopted to be the platforms for knowledge sharing among teachers in the school. A case study of the processes and lesson learned was done in this paper. Multiple sources of data, including observations, questionnaires and interviews, have been collected for evaluation. Findings In this paper, KM implementation was found to be effective through dual approaches: information-based and people-/interaction-based approaches. A knowledge base and a Digital Archive as knowledge repositories and lesson study and CoPs as platforms for knowledge sharing have been successfully established to facilitate sharing information/knowledge and nurturing a sharing culture and trust. Challenges faced and the related coping strategies during the process of implementation were shared and reflected. It was also found that building sharing culture is the critical turning point of the process of KM implementation. Breaking through the barrier of sharing was found to be very essential to KM implementation. Research limitations/implications This paper adopts case study methodology to report the process of KM implementation in a school. Although these results of the study conducted in one school may not be generalized to other school contexts, the lessons learned in the study will be a strong empirical evidence of research of KM implementation, especially in schools. Because of the limited number of prior studies and the importance of the pioneering work of launching KM implementation, this paper tries to address the research gap by using theory building from cases as a research strategy rather than theory testing research, especially in “how”and“why” in the steps of kicking off KM implementation in an unexplored research area. Practical implications This paper shows a case of KM implementation in a school with thoughtful procedures of implementing information-based and people-/interaction-based approaches. The paper is a showcase that will shed light on the processes and lessons learned and also helps to provide a model for schools who are interested in applying KM in their schools. Social implications Most people might think that KM can be applied only in commercial sector. This paper shows that KM can also be adopted in schools as well as other sectors. Originality/value This paper represents one of the pioneering work of implementing KM in a school. It hopes to make contributions for KM implementation also in the public sector within which are non-profit-making organizations.

scholarly journals Role of Knowledge Management on Organizational Performance, Case of Jimma University in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Knowledge Management Practice ◽  
Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Jimma University

This study explored role of knowledge management practice on the performance in higher education institute at Jimma University College of agriculture and Veterinary medicine in Ethiopia, considering academic staff perception. The study mainly employed quantitative descriptive research design using cross sectional design also used qualitative approach. For data collection, pre-tested self-administered structured questionnaire used. Considering 143 academic staff a population studied using census approach out of total 214 excluding those currently engaged in further study. Response rate was 81.8%. Descriptive and inferential statistics analysis employed utilizing STATA 14. Major finding includes: willingness of knowledge sharing and discovery was at high level. Knowledge sharing, capture, utilization as well as organizational and IT infrastructure support was at medium level. Chi-square (χ2) test indicated there is association between knowledge capture, sharing, utilization, organization support, IT support and performance. However ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that only component knowledge utilization has positive and significant impact on performance. The study identified challenges in the practice of knowledge management such as inadequate fund, unsatisfactory documentation, inadequate support and cooperation consecutively. Thus college should spend more in knowledge management practice can improve innovation utilized in funding research, enhance team work, improving technology, motivate academic staff to retain and share knowledge. Keywords: knowledge management, knowledge share, Performance, Practice, Process

Impact of knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity on project performance: the moderating role of social processes

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imran Ali ◽  
Ata Ul Musawir ◽  
Murad Ali
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Knowledge Governance ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose This study aims to propose an integrated model to examine the impact of knowledge governance, knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity (ACAP) on project performance in the context of project-based organizations (PBOs). This study also examines the moderating role of social processes on the relationships among these variables. Design/methodology/approach To test the proposed model, cross-sectional data were collected regarding projects from 133 PBOs in Pakistan’s information technology/software industry. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method and PRCOESS tool. Finally, this study also uses causal asymmetry analysis to check asymmetric relationship in the key constructs. Findings The results generally support the proposed model. Knowledge governance and knowledge sharing are important antecedents for improving the ACAP of the project, which in turn significantly improves project performance. Additionally, social processes positively moderate the relationship between knowledge sharing and ACAP, as well as between ACAP and project performance. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that PBOs should invest in developing a knowledge governance system that guides and stimulates knowledge sharing within and between projects. This would boost the ACAP of projects and lead to superior project performance. Originality/value This study addresses the important issue of knowledge management in IT/software projects. It proposes a unique model that integrates the key constructs of knowledge management and describes their effect on project performance.

The influence mechanism of rewards on knowledge sharing behaviors in virtual communities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Wang ◽  
Jielin Yin ◽  
Zhenzhong Ma ◽  
Maolin Liao
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrated Framework ◽  
Tacit Knowledge Sharing

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.

The impact of organisational culture, organisational structure and technological infrastructure on process improvement through knowledge sharing

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1443-1472
Author(s):  
Sergio J. Chión ◽  
Vincent Charles ◽  
José Morales
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Textile Industry ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Organisational Structure ◽  
Technology Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Managers ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediator role that knowledge sharing plays between organisational culture, organisational structure, and technology infrastructure and process improvement in a knowledge management context in manufacturing enterprises operating in the food, beverage and textile industry. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study is conducted with a sample of 200 food, beverage and textile companies. Data are obtained by means of a survey questionnaire applied to general managers in each of the sample firms. The impact of the factors organisational culture, organisational structure and technology infrastructure on process improvement via knowledge sharing is assessed. Structural equation modelling and maximum likelihood estimation are applied to find the direction and strength of the relationships. Findings The main findings indicate the significant relationships between knowledge sharing and process improvement, between organisational culture and knowledge sharing, and between organisational structure and knowledge sharing. The relationship between technology infrastructure and knowledge sharing is found not to be significant. Research limitations/implications The findings of the present study are limited to the food, beverage and textile industry. Future research could incorporate data from other manufacturing sectors or service companies. Practical implications This study provides practical guidance for general managers who wish to implement process improvement programmes. Originality/value Several authors have noted that there are few research studies concerning the interaction between each phase of knowledge management and total quality management practices. This study is interested in knowledge sharing and its impact on process improvement in a knowledge management context.

Knowledge management practice of medical cloud logistics industry: transportation resource semantic discovery based on ontology modelling

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuli Zhou ◽  
Yandong He ◽  
Panpan Ma ◽  
Raj V. Mahto
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Resource Discovery ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Logistics Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resource Matching ◽  
Matching Rules ◽  
Semantic Discovery ◽  
Transportation Resource

PurposeThe booming of the Internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques contributes to knowledge adoption and management innovation for the healthcare industry. It is of great significance to transport the medical resources to required places in an efficient way. However, it is difficult to exactly discover matched transportation resources and deliver to its destination due to the heterogeneity. This paper studies the medical transportation resource discovery mechanism, leading to efficiency improvement and operational innovation.Design/methodology/approachTo solve the transportation resource semantic discovery problem under the novel cloud environment, the ontology modelling approach is used for both transportation resources and tasks information modes. Besides, medical transportation resource discovery mechanism is proposed, and resource matching rules are designed including three stages: filtering reasoning, QoS-based matching and user preferences-based rank to satisfy personalized demands of users. Furthermore, description logic rules are built to express the developed matching rules.FindingsAn organizational transportation case is taken as an example to describe the medical transportation logistics resource semantic discovery process under cloud medical service scenario. Results derived from the proposed semantic discovery mechanism could assist operators to find the most suitable resources.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study validates the effectiveness of the developed transportation resource semantic discovery mechanism, contributing to knowledge management innovation for the medical logistics industry.Originality/valueTo improve task-resource matching accuracy under cloud scenario, this study develops a transportation resource semantic discovery procedure from the viewpoint of knowledge management. The novel knowledge management practice contributes to operational management of the cloud medical logistics service by introducing ontology modelling and creative management.

Whom to appease and whom to circumvent: analyzing knowledge sharing with social networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 75-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham Cyril Issac ◽  
Tina Susan Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Differential Analysis ◽  
Potential Core ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Creative Mind ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Road Map

Purpose In an academic and research institution of repute, where the student researcher’s creative mind and innovative potentials are the kingpin factors, it is of primary interest to segregate and pool competencies at an individual level and to create dynamic synergetic effects. Knowledge about potential core competencies and own resources, facilitation of existing personal relationships and the development of new personal relations and cooperation are necessary prerequisites. This is where social network analysis (SNA) acts as a useful tool for measuring the performance of knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach The current study makes a detailed analysis of the knowledge sharing network among the student researchers. The research study estimates different parameters such as knowledge sharing in various departments, the motivation for research and research environment. This work mainly attempts to undertake a differential analysis of the knowledge sharing pattern among the research scholars with the aid of Pajek software and R programming. Findings A holistic knowledge sharing network for the entire set of research scholars is established and the centrality features of the network and among the departments are analyzed, leading to a road map which deliberates on whom to appease and whom to circumvent. Research limitations/implications Every institute or organization can use the SNA to identify the key stakeholders in the knowledge sharing environment or the kingpin actors who are prone to knowledge hiding. Such useful identification of the vital stakeholders can give information on how to eliminate the barriers in the knowledge management systems, so that enhanced level of collaboration happens. Originality/value This is the first comprehensive SNA to decipher the knowledge sharing pattern among researchers. This work characterizes knowledge management research literature and thereby offers to reduce redundant research by delineating the possible avenues in the area of knowledge sharing.

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