Understanding knowledge sharing in virtual communities: a network perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Deng ◽  
Kun Guo
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Community Member ◽  
Bulletin Board ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Basic Point ◽  
Content Type

Purpose As more and more people are beginning to take virtual communities (VC) as effective communication channels and the main places to get information and knowledge, understanding the factors that can support or hinder one’s knowledge sharing seems important for the management of VCs. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents that influence people’s knowledge sharing in VCs, and to explore influence mechanism and the boundary condition of how the antecedent affect people’s knowledge sharing in VCs. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted empirical research to test our hypotheses. The authors designed a questionnaire based on previous research and collected the questionnaires from seven VCs in China, including two specific topic-based forums in Baidu Tieba which is the largest Chinese online communication platform, three in traditional university bulletin board system (BBS) forums and another two based on instant messaging service. The final sample the authors got included 96 individuals. Then the authors used the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) technique to analysis the data. Findings The results suggest that community member’s attachment can be a strong indicator of his/her knowledge-sharing intention which will possibly lead to knowledge-sharing behavior. However, this effect can be contingent on individual centrality and community member fluctuations. In a stable community, those who are in the peripheral position are more likely to transfer their attachment into knowledge sharing because they have the intention to move into central positions and knowledge sharing can help them gain status. While in an unstable environment, it does not make any difference between people in different position in the social network. Originality/value First, this paper reveals member’s attachment as the antecedent of people’s knowledge sharing in VCs. Second, this paper adopts a network perspective to construct the research model. And the basic point made is that knowledge sharing can be seen as a channel to attain status and centrality in a community. Thus, people who are in periphery positions are more likely to transfer their community attachment into knowledge-sharing intention. Third, this paper emphasizes the dynamic characteristic of members in VCs and proves the moderation effect of community member fluctuations.

Good problem solvers? Leveraging knowledge sharing mechanisms and management support

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1017-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambra Galeazzo ◽  
Andrea Furlan
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
Good Problem

Purpose Organizational learning relies on problem-solving as a way to generate new knowledge. Good problem solvers should adopt a problem-solving orientation (PSO) that analyzes the causes of problems to arrive at an effective solution. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this relevant, though underexplored, topic by examining two important antecedents of PSO: knowledge sharing mechanisms and transformational leaders’ support. Design/methodology/approach Hierarchical linear modeling analyses were performed on a sample of 131 workers in 12 plants. A questionnaire was designed to collect data from shop-floor employees. Knowledge sharing was measured using the mechanisms of participative practices and standardized practices. Management support was assessed based on the extent to which supervisors engaged in transformational leadership. Findings Knowledge sharing mechanisms are an antecedent of PSO behavior, but management support measured in terms of transformational leadership is not. However, transformational leadership affects the use of knowledge sharing mechanisms that, in turn, is positively related to PSO behavior. Practical implications The research provides practical guidance for practitioners to understand how to manage knowledge in the workplace to promote employees’ PSO behaviors. Originality/value Though problem-solving activities are intrinsic in any working context, PSO is still very much underrepresented and scarcely understood in knowledge management studies. This study fills this gap by investigating the antecedents of PSO behavior.

From “personal” to “interpersonal”: a multilevel approach to uncovering the relationship between job satisfaction and knowledge sharing among IT professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Lei ◽  
Qiang Zhou ◽  
Jifan Ren ◽  
Xiling Cui
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Information Technology Professionals ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Paired Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine how job satisfaction (JS) affects two types of knowledge sharing (KS), in-role KS and extra-role KS. It also investigates the mediating effect of knowledge sharing self-efficacy (KSSE) and the moderating effect of team collaborative culture (TCC) between JS and two types of KS. Design/methodology/approach This study applies attribution theory to develop a cross-level model and validate it through paired data collected from 322 information technology professionals nested within 80 teams. Hierarchical linear modeling is used to test the hypotheses. Findings JS positively influences in-role and extra-role KS via KSSE and TCC positively moderates the relationship between JS and extra-role KS. Originality/value This study is one of the first to investigate the mechanism underlying the influence of JS on two types of KS. It also identifies the mediating and moderating effects of this mechanism.

Promoting employee job crafting at work: the roles of motivation and team context

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 689-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Won Lee ◽  
Youjeong Song
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Job Crafting ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Motivation ◽  
Modeling Analysis ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Team Knowledge Sharing

Purpose Despite receiving much attention in recent job design literature, job crafting research has neglected motivational and multilevel perspectives, limiting the understanding of how to foster employee job crafting. Drawing on job crafting and self-determination theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore individual- and team-level predictors and the mechanisms involved in employees’ job change behaviors. The authors propose that employees’ intrinsic motivation and two team-level properties – team knowledge sharing and trust – have important roles to play. Design/methodology/approach The multilevel data were collected from 311 employees from 62 work teams in Korean companies. Hierarchical linear modeling analysis was used. A supplementary data collected from 162 individuals working in the USA were used for analysis. Findings The results showed that intrinsic motivation and team knowledge sharing are positively related to job crafting. In addition, intrinsic motivation mediated the relationship between team knowledge and individual job crafting. Finally, team trust was shown to play a cross-level moderating role, strengthening the positive relationship between employees’ intrinsic motivation and job crafting. Originality/value Applying motivational and multilevel perspectives, this paper uncovers the roles of individual motivation and team context in fostering employee job crafting. This study helps to extend the theoretical domains of job crafting and provides practical insights into how to promote employees’ job crafting.

A netnography of war heritage sites’ online narratives: user-generated content and destination marketing organizations communication at comparison

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Irimiás ◽  
Serena Volo
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Heritage Tourism ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Field Research ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Destination Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Institutional Communication

Purpose The aim of this paper is twofold: to provide empirical evidence of the knowledge-sharing process within virtual communities interested in war heritage sites and to compare user-generated content (UGC) in virtual communities with destinations’ official communication about war heritage sites to identify, original and consumer-oriented narratives. Design/methodology/approach This study uses field research to investigate selected war heritage sites and to assess the destinations’ on-site communication; in-depth interviews to learn about the destination marketing organizations’ approaches to communication; and netnography with content analysis of text and pictures to evaluate the online knowledge shared within virtual communities on the investigated war heritage sites. A comparison between users-generated content and official destination management organizations’ (DMOs) communication was carried out. Findings The results show that the destinations under investigation have invested significantly to develop war heritage tourism, but they still struggle to attract tourists. The comparison between DMOs communication narratives and users-generated content shows that DMOs fail to use emotional involvement and accurate historic knowledge which seems to be at the basis of UGC narratives. Indeed, history passionates posts, pictures, comments and exchanges are emotionally engaging and DMOs could benefit from the user-generated content approach to improve institutional communication on war heritage sites. Research limitations/implications Further studies could survey history passionates, both online and offline, as to better explore the relationship between contributing to virtual communities’ content and visitation patterns of war heritage sites. Incorporating more emotionally engaging narratives, DMOs could enhance their communication and create virtual spaces where knowledgeable tourists can share information and experiences. Originality/value This paper contributes to the understanding of online knowledge sharing in the context of war heritage tourism. The comparison between UGC in virtual communities and official destinations’ narratives shows the potential of spontaneous knowledge sharing versus structured online communication and how the latter could benefit UGC.

Customer knowledge sharing, creativity and value co-creation

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 961-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin-Hua Guan ◽  
Lishan Xie ◽  
Tzung-Cheng Huan
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Control Variables ◽  
Customer Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Findings ◽  
New Research ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to improve understanding of co-creation by focusing on customer knowledge sharing (CKS), which is something that can be influenced by organizational relationship orientation (ORO), employee adaptiveness (EA) and customer expertise (CE), and that influences employee creativity (EC) and customer-perceived economic value (CEV). Design/methodology/approach With subjects being conference and meeting organizers for hotel service, a survey was conducted in major Chinese cities. In the survey, high-star-rated hotels’ corporate sales personnel provided data if a sales person got one of their customers to provide data. Only responses for hotels for which two employee–customer matched records were obtained could be used for analysis by using hierarchical linear modeling; so, 217 matched records from 48 hotels were processed. Findings Accepting five hypotheses and having coefficients for control variables allow new insights into the importance of CKS. Insights regarding brand familiarity, employee seniority, etc. contribute to theory and improving research. Practical implications Action can include fostering benefit from CE, nurturing EA and supporting ORO. Action can be recruiting and training employees with special considerations to their level and use of EA that facilitates acquiring valuable knowledge from customers. For researchers, practical implications relate to improving modeling and recognizing new research. Originality/value This study provides new findings on ORO, EA and CE affecting CKS, as well as showing relationships of CKS with EC and CEV. Coefficients of control variables yield insights beyond control that contribute to theory and to identifying new research. Examining response distributions highlights analysis issues, suggesting avenues for new research.

Impact of relatedness, uncertainty and slack on corporate entrepreneurship decisions

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Garrett ◽  
Shaunn Mattingly ◽  
Jeff Hornsby ◽  
Alireza Aghaey
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Corporate Entrepreneurship ◽  
New Venture ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Slack Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of opportunity relatedness and uncertainty on the decision of a corporate entrepreneur to pursue a venturing opportunity.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a conjoint experimental design to reveal the structure of respondents' decision policies. Data were gathered from 47 useable replies from corporate entrepreneurs and were analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling (HLM).FindingsResults show that product relatedness, market relatedness, perceived certainty about expected outcomes and slack resources all have a positive effect on the willingness of a corporate entrepreneur to pursue a new venture idea. Moreover, slack was found to diminish the positive effect of product relatedness on the likelihood to pursue a venturing opportunity.Practical implicationsBy providing a better understanding of decision-making schemas of corporate entrepreneurs, the findings of this study help improve the practice of entrepreneurship at the organizational level. In order to make more accurate opportunity assessments, corporate entrepreneurs need to be aware of their cognitive strategies and need to factor in the salient criteria affecting such assessments.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the limited understanding of corporate-level decision-making with regard to pursuing venturing opportunities. More specifically, the paper adds new insights regarding how relatedness and uncertainty affect new venture opportunity assessments in the presence (or lack thereof) of slack resources.

Knowledge Sharing, Organizational Climate, and Innovative Behavior: A Cross-Level Analysis of Effects

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien Yu ◽  
Tsai-Fang Yu ◽  
Chin-Cheh Yu
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Organizational Innovation ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Innovative Behavior ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Innovation Climate ◽  
The Impact

We investigated individual-level knowledge sharing and innovative behavior of employees, organizational innovation climate, and interactions between the individual level of knowledge sharing and the climate of innovation within the organization as a whole. Employees of public corporations in the Taiwanese finance and insurance industries participated in this study. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) indicated a positive association between knowledge sharing and innovative behavior and a positive association between organizational innovation climate and innovative behavior. According to the results of HLM organizational innovation climate did not act as a moderator on the impact of knowledge sharing on innovative behavior.

scholarly journals The role of affects in conflict frames and conflict management

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei-Yu Yang ◽  
Fei-Chun Cheng ◽  
Aichia Chuang
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Trait ◽  
The Right ◽  
Trait Affectivity ◽  
Conflict Frames

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the roles of trait affectivity and momentary moods in conflict frames and conflict management. This paper goes beyond affect induction and focuses on the affective – rather than rational – antecedents of the choice of conflict management strategy. Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopts a within- and between-person approach and uses hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses with group-mean centering. Over the course of 12 days within a three-week period, the authors collected participants’ momentary moods and how they thought about and would respond to conflict scenarios. Data were gathered from 1,545 observations, involving 180 individuals. Findings – After controlling for anger raised from the conflict scenario, both positive trait affectivity and positive momentary moods were found to be positively related to a compromise frame. Surprisingly, neither negative trait affectivity nor momentary mood was related to the win frame. A compromise frame predicted a cooperative strategy, and a win frame predicted a competitive strategy. The relationships between trait and momentary affects and conflict management strategy were partially mediated by conflict frame, but only for positive affects. Practical implications – If seeking a constructive resolution, choose the right person (i.e. an individual with positive trait affectivity) and the right moment (i.e. the individual is in a positive mood state) to communicate disagreements. Originality/value – This paper sheds light on the prediction of conflict frame and conflict management behavior by testing trait affectivity and momentary mood simultaneously.

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.

Impact of employee pro-organizational unethical behavior on performance evaluation rated by supervisor: a moderated mediation model of supervisor bottom-line mentality

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Zhan ◽  
Yun Liu
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The topic of employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) has attracted more and more interest in both practice and academic fields. However, previous studies have mainly investigated the antecedents of UPB and little research has discussed the outcome variables. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effect mechanism of UPB on employee performance evaluation rated by a supervisor through a leader-member exchange (LMX) and the moderating role of supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM). Design/methodology/approach This study used a sample consisting of 304 employees and 96 supervisors in several manufacturing firms in China. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses, as this was cross-level research. In addition, this paper also uses Mplus7.4 to test the moderating effects of supervisor BLM on the indirect effects between the UPB and performance evaluation by a moderated path analysis. Findings The results confirm that UPB is positively related to performance evaluation rated by supervisors. Additionally, the mediating effect of LMX in the relationship between UPB and performance evaluation is successfully demonstrated. Furthermore, supervisor BLM cross-levelly moderates the relationship between UPB and LMX, as well as moderates the mediation effect of LMX on the correlation between UPB and performance evaluation. Research limitations/implications The primary contribution of this research is building a cross-level model for the effect of UPB on followers’ performance evaluation scored by the supervisor and thereby extending the nomological networks of both UPB and performance evaluation literature. Another contribution the study makes to the literature is that it provides a new perspective to understand how UPB relates to followers’ performance evaluation. Originality/value This is the first study about how and when UPB predicts followers’ performance evaluation rated by the supervisor.

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