Knowledge Sharing Motivation

Organisations invest heavily in knowledge management technologies and initiatives which are entirely dependent on the willingness of employees to share their knowledge. Educational and reward programs need to be informed by an understanding of what motivates people to share their knowledge at work. Prior research based on motivational theories suggests the importance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to encourage voluntary pro-social behaviours such as knowledge sharing. However, the literature on motivation in the context of knowledge sharing is still emerging and fragmented. This chapter therefore proposes an integrated model that brings together theoretical insights from motivational research to explain the influence of key intrinsic and extrinsic motivators on knowledge sharing. The chapter reports the results of the assessment of the model based on data collected across 10 organisations. The discussion of results contributes to the understanding of motivational factors influencing attitude and intention to share knowledge and their relative importance.

Modelling Knowledge Sharing Behavior With Behavioral Intention and Interpersonal Trust

With the growing determination to sustain in the competitive market, organizations are focusing more on developing their knowledge management system. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of knowledge sharing intentions (KSI) and affective trust (AT) on knowledge sharing (KS) behavior of employees. Additionally, the mediating influence of affective commitment (AC) of the employees in this relationship is also studied. This study uses data from a sample of 246 managers in Indian private sector firms and employs a structural equation modelling approach to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings of this study show that contrary to the results of prior research, KSI does not affect KS behavior directly. Rather, it acts indirectly through AC, which is necessary for increasing employees' loyalty and willingness to share their knowledge. Moreover, the results indicated that AT has an indirect influence on employees' KS behavior via KSI. Implications and limitations and future scope of the study have also been discussed.

Interpersonal Trust and Knowledge Seeking in China

In this chapter, a study that investigated the roles of interpersonal trust in knowledge seeking in China is presented. Specifically, the study examined and tested the effects of two distinct types of interpersonal trust (cognition-based and sincerity-based) on Chinese employees' willingness to seeking two different types of knowledge (explicit and tacit). Using data from a survey of 243 Chinese MBA students at two universities in China, the study found both types of interpersonal trust positively related to explicit knowledge seeking as well as tacit knowledge seeking. The study also found that cognition-based trust had a stronger relationship with seeking of both explicit and tacit knowledge than sincerity-based trust. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

A Re-Examination and Re-Specification of the Jennex Olfman Knowledge Management Success Model

The Jennex and Olfman KM success model was first published at HICSS in 2004 and in the International Journal of Knowledge Management in 2006. Additionally, it was independently verified by Kundapur and Rodrigues, Srivastava and Joshi, and Wang and Yang. Since then there has been many technology changes and innovations as well as further research on KM success. This chapter re-examines the Jennex Olfman model and suggests a newer model that incorporates the past 10 years of research, innovation in organizational structure, and technology innovation.

Technology Transfer Projects at the University-Industry Interface

This chapter examines how technology transfer has operated in university-company projects in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) via the UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme. A qualitative case study approach is used, focusing on three companies drawn from an initial review of 14 technology transfer projects. This provides the foundation for the development of a model of 12 key factors that underpinned successful outcomes in these projects. The 14 cases are then reviewed overall, in terms of their impact on either process change, service improvement, or product development. The analysis draws upon both the post-project assessments of the funding body and the developed model and concludes that using new technology to innovate in internal processes and services is likely to prove more successful than projects focusing on new product development. The model provides an analytical framework that will be of interest and value to academics and business practitioners looking to develop university-industry partnerships involving technology change and innovation.

Distributed “Knowing in Practice” in Workshare Contexts

Many companies set up operations offshore and complete projects by 'worksharing' where responsibilities are split between geographically dispersed offices. This chapter looks at how knowledge management systems facilitate practices essential for collaborative, distributed work. A qualitative case study is conducted at a large multinational engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company that has successfully implemented a knowledge management system. The study uses the framework of 'knowing in practice' to the context of worksharing. This chapter contributes to the practice by providing specific suggestions that can be implemented from a social technical perspective to facilitate worksharing, specifically, suggesting technological factors and efforts needed by users and managers in facilitating worksharing. This chapter contributes to research by applying the lens of 'knowing in practice' to the context of worksharing.

Knowledge Sharing in an Organisation

This chapter employed the moments of translation of the actor-network theory (ANT) to understand and interpret the sociotechnical knowledge sharing dynamics in organisations. Given the contextual and sociotechnical nature of knowledge sharing, a model constructed on the concepts of the moments of translation of the actor network theory (ANT), developed from a case study of a higher education institution (HEI) in South Africa, is proposed to help to understand and interpret the knowledge sharing challenges in organisations. A conceptual framework was developed within the context of ANT by adopting its ideals and principles to understand how to introduce and develop knowledge sharing within an organisation, using the moments of translation. As such, it was possible to determine why there is no network of aligned interest for knowledge sharing, and how to create a network of aligned interest.

Reconsidering a System for Measuring Dynamic Knowledge

It is axiomatic to say that knowledge is key to competitive advantage, but it is inherently invisible, intangible, and resistant to quantification, particularly when in dynamic motion. Recent research builds upon emerging knowledge measurement techniques and well-established knowledge flow theory to develop a system for measuring dynamic knowledge in the organization. Results from application to archetypical organization processes are encouraging and highly consistent with extant theory. The research described in this chapter summarizes three notable extensions to such work. It makes a theoretic contribution by extending a coherent approach to dynamic knowledge measurement, and it makes a practical contribution through illustration in the organization context. A related goal is to stimulate considerable thinking, discussion, debate, and continued research.

Towards Understanding and Implementing Knowledge Management Strategy

Many companies are working strategically with their knowledge through targeted knowledge management strategies aligned with their organizational strategy. However, the success of these knowledge management strategies vary. This chapter uses previous studies to show that KM strategy is a dual function concept. One function of knowledge management strategy manages knowledge content to ensure the right knowledge is captured and used while the other function of knowledge management strategy focuses on aligning a knowledge management initiative to organizational strategy. Additionally, the components of each function are discussed.

Organizational Memory Systems in a Multi-Unit Public Organization

Organizational memory systems (OMS) are means used by organizations to retain and reuse their knowledge. This study identifies organizational memory systems and their use for performing daily activities in a multi-unit public organization. Data were collected through a questionnaire and observation. Analytical categorization of systems, descriptive statistics, and non-parametric test were used as analytical procedures. The results show the most of OMS store explicit knowledge, but the most accessed store tacit knowledge. Internal and external systems to organization were identified. Identification of external systems suggests existence of a thin line between what organization proposes and formalizes as OMS and the systems actually in use. These results indicate the need to research the properties of existing memory systems and those actually used in organizations.