Investigating the effects of psychological empowerment and interpersonal conflicts on employees’ knowledge sharing intentions

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1039-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Tsong Wang ◽  
Yi-Shun Wang ◽  
Wan-Ting Chang

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how different forms of interpersonal conflicts and employees’ psychological empowerment may affect knowledge sharing intentions directly or indirectly via interpersonal trust in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data collected from 249 employees of 37 of the top 500 corporations in the manufacturing industry in Taiwan were used for the data analysis. The research model was analyzed using the component-based structural equation modeling technique, namely, the partial least squares (PLS) approach.FindingsThe results indicate that both relationship and task conflicts have significant indirect effects on employees’ knowledge sharing intentions via psychological empowerment and trust. Additionally, psychological empowerment significantly influences employees’ knowledge sharing intentions both directly and indirectly via trust.Research limitations/implicationsThe primary theoretical implication is an advancement in the understanding of the critical antecedents of and their different effects on employees’ knowledge sharing intentions from the perspectives of conflict management and individual psychological empowerment. Future research may concentrate on investigating the bidirectional interactions among trust, relationship conflicts and task conflicts in different knowledge-sharing contexts.Practical implicationsThis study provides practical insights into conflict resolution intended to facilitate psychological empowerment and interpersonal trust that encourage knowledge sharing in the workplace.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first knowledge sharing study that empirically examines how task and relationship conflicts affect employees’ knowledge sharing intentions differently via the mediation of their perceived psychological empowerment and interpersonal trust in one another in the workplace.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Nguyen ◽  
Ashish Malik ◽  
Piyush Sharma

Purpose This study aims to combine the theory of planned behave or (TPB) and the motivational framework to extend the research on online knowledge sharing (OKS) in an organization by exploring the factors that drive the knowledge sharing intentions (KSI) of posters and lurkers. Design/methodology/approach A field survey with 501 employees in Vietnamese telecommunication companies is used to collect the data and a structural equation modeling approach with AMOS 25.0 is used to test all the hypotheses. Findings Attitudes toward OKS and subjective norms influence online KSI for both posters and lurkers. Self-enjoyment has a stronger effect on the attitudes toward OKS for posters than lurkers. Self-efficacy, reciprocity and rewards only affect posters and not lurkers. Research limitations/implications This study uses self-efficacy and self-enjoyment to represent intrinsic motivation and reciprocity and rewards for extrinsic motivation. Future research may use additional motivational factors to provide additional insights. Practical implications Managers should pay greater attention to subjective norms and attitudes toward knowledge sharing to motivate all the employees to share knowledge with each other to improve organizational performance. Originality/value This is the first study to combine TPB with the motivational framework to explore the factors that drive online knowledge sharing in an organization.



2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeevan Jyoti ◽  
Sumeet Kour

Purpose – Organizations in India are multicultural in nature. In this context, cultural intelligence is a tool, which can increase an individual’s ability to interact with people outside his/her culture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of cultural intelligence on task performance as well as to investigate the mediating role of cultural adjustment between the two. Design/methodology/approach – Extensive review of literature was done to acknowledge the cultural intelligence and task performance concept. Data for the study has been collected from the 225 managers working in nationalized banks in Jammu province (J&K, India). Data collected has been validated using confirmatory factor analysis and hypotheses have been tested through structural equation modeling. Findings – The study reveals that cultural intelligence significantly contributes toward task performance. The findings further reveal full mediation of cultural adjustment between cultural intelligence and task performance. Research limitations/implications – The study has been conducted in Indian cultural context, which can be extended to other Asian countries. Further, more outcomes of cultural intelligence can be taken into consideration in future for better understanding of the concept. Practical implications – The study contributes toward cultural intelligence theory. Organization should provide cultural training to the managers before sending them to out of home state assignment, which helps to understand the culture of that state and effectively interact with people belonging to that place. Originality/value – The paper empirically identifies the relationship between cultural intelligence and task performance in Indian context. Further, this relationship has been explored by using cultural adjustment as a mediator between the two. The model developed can be used for future research keeping it as a base.



2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1408-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunyoung Park ◽  
Eun-Jee Kim

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among transformational leadership, knowledge sharing climate and behavior, interpersonal trust and organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach Data from 209 participants from a manufacturing company in Korea were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method. Findings The findings of the study indicated that transformational leadership directly affected the knowledge sharing climate and behavior, interpersonal trust and organizational learning of an organization. Transformational leadership also indirectly affected organizational learning through knowledge climate and behavior, and interpersonal trust. In addition, a knowledge sharing climate directly affected interpersonal trust and knowledge sharing behavior and indirectly affected organizational learning through interpersonal trust and knowledge behavior. Interpersonal trust directly affected knowledge sharing behavior and indirectly affected organizational learning through knowledge sharing behavior. Finally, knowledge sharing behavior positively affected organizational learning. Research limitations/implications The results highlight the important role of transformational leadership to enhance the knowledge sharing climate and behavior of employees, interpersonal trust and organizational learning. This study also indicated that transformational leadership, interpersonal trust and knowledge sharing behavior are antecedents of organizational learning. Practical implications The study’s findings could motivate practitioners to place more emphasis on leadership support, knowledge sharing and organizational learning in the manufacturing sector. Originality/value The study provided diverse paths indicating how transformational leadership can impact organizational learning by examining both the direct and indirect paths between transformational leadership, multiple mediators and organizational learning. It also suggested a research framework for supporting transformational leadership, knowledge sharing and organizational learning, as well as their relationships by examining the three variables in one research model.



2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Yasir ◽  
Abdul Majid ◽  
Zahid Yousaf ◽  
Abdelmohsen A. Nassani ◽  
Mohamed Haffar

PurposeThis study aims to propose a model based on knowledge sharing (KS) to explore that how functional flexibility (FF) and psychological empowerment (PE) plays a mediating role between KS and innovative work behavior (IWB) among employees of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional plan was employed to investigate the hypothesized model. Survey instrument was used to collect data from 769 employees of SMEs through self-administered questionnaires. Furthermore, correlation and structural equation modeling approach was used for the analysis of collected data.FindingsThe findings revealed that KS has a significant positive relationship with IWB. Second, FF and PE fully mediate between KS and IWB.Originality/valueThis study offers empirical evidence how to flourish a mechanism of IWB among employees in SMEs. Furthermore, this study highlighted some facts that should be meaningful options for human resource managers to understand the nexus of KS, FF and PE for enhancing the IWB among workers in SMEs. Moreover, the study in hand provided significant implications for management by focusing on KS as a fundamental predictor for IWB via FF and PE.



2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Guinot ◽  
Ricardo Chiva ◽  
Vicente Roca-Puig

Purpose – Due to the divergent conclusions about the effects of interpersonal trust on job satisfaction, the study aims to look more deeply into this relationship by introducing job stress as a mediator variable. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses structural equation modeling to analyze the opinions of 6,407 Spanish employees, taken from the 2008 Quality of Working Life Survey carried out by the Spanish Ministry of Labor and Immigration. Findings – The findings show that interpersonal trust has a positive effect on job satisfaction, and that job stress partially mediates this relationship. Furthermore, interpersonal trust is negatively related to job stress, which in turn is negatively related to job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – Despite the pertinence and size of the database used in the study, it is very heterogeneous. Future research might delimit the database by organization size or sector. Qualitative studies may also improve our understanding of the relationships studied and enable other concepts to be included. Practical implications – Cultivating a climate of trust may provide organizations with a strategy to improve levels of mental well-being and satisfaction among their employees. Originality/value – This research explains why interpersonal trust has a positive effect on job satisfaction. The paper's conceptualization of trust implies risk assumption and low risk perception; low perception of risk is presumed to reduce job stress, and in turn, increase job satisfaction. The paper also puts forward reasons for why “excessive” interpersonal trust has been related to negative effects on job satisfaction. “Excessive” trust might infer high risk perception, which might increase job stress, and in turn decrease job satisfaction.



2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Tripathi ◽  
Pushpendra Priyadarshi ◽  
Pankaj Kumar ◽  
Sushil Kumar

Purpose This paper aims to examine how servant leaders play an essential role in employee work role performance by assessing the mediating role of knowledge sharing and psychological empowerment. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from a sample of 583 employees working in a public sector organization in India. Structural equation modeling has been used to test the proposed model. Findings The results contribute to new knowledge that servant leadership has a positive link to work role performance. Findings demonstrate that this relationship was partially mediated by knowledge sharing and psychological empowerment. Knowledge sharing has a positive and significant effect on psychological empowerment. Theoretical and practical implications are provided. Originality/value By identifying servant leadership as a determinant of knowledge-sharing behavior and psychological empowerment, this paper significantly supplements current research on the process through which leadership influences individual behavior and motivation toward work performance.



2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 1347-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Jee Kim ◽  
Sunyoung Park

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among transformational leadership, organizational learning, interpersonal trust and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from the manufacturing sector in South Korea. A total of 208 responses were analyzed by employing the structural equation modeling method. Findings The findings showed that transformational leadership directly affected organizational learning, interpersonal trust and OCB; interpersonal trust positively and significantly influenced organizational learning and OCB; organizational learning had direct and significant effects on OCB; and organizational learning mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB. Research limitations/implications This study highlights the value of empirically establishing how employee citizenship behaviors are affected by transformational leadership as an integrative construct bringing together organizational learning and trust. Originality/value The study intends to encourage future research by assessing whether organizational learning and interpersonal trust mediates the link between leaders’ behavior and employees’ behavior.



2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Laid Ouakouak ◽  
Nour AlBuloushi ◽  
Noufou Ouedraogo ◽  
Nabeel Sawalha

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate whether openness to receive and openness to share knowledge drive employees to share knowledge with colleagues in the workplace. The authors also investigate what, if any, influence knowledge sharing has on performance at both individual and work unit levels. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 237 employees from eight banks in Kuwait. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The knowledge receiver’s openness to receive and openness to share knowledge influence the provider’s knowledge-sharing behavior. The latter positively affects the provider’s job performance and the work unit’s innovation performance. Furthermore, knowledge utilization strengthens knowledge sharing’s positive effect on work unit innovation. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study are industry and country specific and, therefore, would likely not be applicable to other settings. Thus, similar future research targeting different industries and/or countries is warranted. As a cross-sectional study, this research can also benefit from subsequent longitudinal studies. Practical implications Organizations should create a culture conducive to sharing knowledge. For example, managers should assure employees that knowledge shared with coworkers will be well received and utilized, remove barriers to new knowledge utilization and create awareness among employees that sharing knowledge benefits knowledge providers as well as knowledge providers. Originality/value The authors provide evidence of how the knowledge receiver’s openness to receive and to share knowledge affect the provider’s knowledge sharing. The authors also provide insights into how knowledge sharing drives job performance and innovation.



2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 2553-2569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Kong ◽  
Ning Sun ◽  
Qi Yan

Purpose This study aims to explore the influence of psychological empowerment on the career competencies of Generation Y employees and the relationship between empowerment and career satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Generation Y working in the hospitality industry comprised the target population of this study. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, and 458 valid questionnaires were obtained. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data and to test the causal relationships among the constructs. Findings Psychological empowerment was positively related to career competencies and career satisfaction. Moreover, the four dimensions of psychological empowerment, namely, impact, competence, self-determination and meaning, also contributed positively to the career competencies and satisfaction of Generation Y. Findings indicated that empowerment was an important predictor of career management among young employees. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this study is the use of convenience sampling method, with participants selected according to their accessibility. Future studies should collect a reasonably broad sample by using probability sampling methods. Practical implications The findings of this study provided useful guidance to manage and empower Generation Y employees. First, the importance of psychological empowerment to enhance the career competencies and satisfaction of young employees was proved. Second, this study provided detailed information on how to empower Generation Y employees. Third, this study may help to retain qualified employees by empowering and supporting their career development. Social implications This study highlighted the importance of empowerment in managing Generation Y employees. Once Generation Y employees are trusted and empowered, they tend to perform well in both their job and career. Findings indicated that the four factors of psychological empowerment had different contributions to careers of the employees. Results suggest that managers should attempt to assign challenging and meaningful tasks to young employees and to increase their responsibility and impact in the organization. To attract and retain qualified young employees, career competences should be enhanced to achieve a level of career satisfaction. Originality/value This study presented new findings on Generation Y and the outcomes of psychological empowerment. Initial evidence on the contribution of empowerment to the career issues of the new generation was proved. The findings outlined detailed information on psychological empowerment by exploring the function of its four factors. The results may serve as a foundation for future research on empowerment and career issues of Generation Y.



2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung Hyun Han ◽  
Gaeun Seo ◽  
Seung Won Yoon ◽  
Dong-Yeol Yoon

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the fundamental process through which transformational leaders play a significant role in employees’ knowledge sharing by investigating mediating roles of individual affects, particularly psychological empowerment, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling, including confirmatory factor and path analysis, is conducted to test proposed hypothesis. Findings The results of this study indicate significant direct effects of transformational leadership on psychological empowerment, organizational commitment and OCB. Moreover, transformational leadership also shows an indirect effect on employees’ OCB, which, in turn, is identified as the primary factor that influences knowledge sharing. However, organizational commitment does not provide a significant influence on knowledge sharing. These findings highlight the importance of mediating roles, particularly OCB, to predict employees’ knowledge-sharing intention. Originality/value Identifying structural determinants of knowledge sharing is an important scholarly agenda. In particular, the mechanisms and processes by which leadership exerts influence to motivate employees to share knowledge deserve scholarly inquiry, and there, is a need for more research to understand the mechanisms and processes through which leadership influences individual motivation and attitudes toward pro-social behaviors, such as knowledge sharing.



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