Multilevel influences on individual knowledge sharing behaviours: the moderating effects of knowledge sharing opportunity and collectivism

How social interaction can prevent interpersonal conflict from inducing turnover intentions and diminishing championing behaviour

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to draw from conservation of resources theory to examine how employees’ experience of resource-draining interpersonal conflict might diminish the likelihood that they engage in championing behaviour. Its specific focus is on the mediating effect of their motivation to leave the organization and the moderating effect of their peer-oriented social interaction in this connection.

Design/methodology/approach

The research hypotheses are empirically assessed with quantitative survey data gathered from 632 employees who work in a large Mexican-based pharmacy chain. The statistical analyses involved an application of the Process macro, which enabled concurrent estimations of the direct, mediating and moderating effects predicted by the proposed conceptual framework.

Findings

Emotion-based tensions in co-worker relationships decrease employees’ propensity to mobilize support for innovative ideas, because employees make plans to abandon their jobs. This mediating role of turnover intentions is mitigated when employees maintain close social relationships with their co-workers.

Practical implications

For organizational practitioners, this study identifies a core explanation (i.e. employees want to quit the company) for why frustrations with emotion-based quarrels can lead to a reluctance to promote novel ideas – ideas that otherwise could add to organizational effectiveness. It also highlights how this harmful process can be avoided if employees maintain good, informal relationships with their colleagues.

Originality/value

For organizational scholars, this study explicates why and when employees’ experience of interpersonal conflict translates into complacent work behaviours, in the form of tarnished idea championing. It also identifies informal peer relationships as critical contingency factors that disrupt this negative dynamic.

How time pressure is associated with knowledge sharing: a dual-path mechanism study

Purpose

This study aims to explore the dual-path effects of challenge (CTP) and hindrance time pressure (HTP) on knowledge sharing, which provides theoretical reference for knowledge teams to carry out knowledge sharing smoothly.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected two waves of data and surveyed 416 employees in China. Regression analysis, bootstrapping and structure equitation modeling was adopted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

CTP has a positive impact on employee knowledge sharing, while HTP has a negative impact on employee knowledge sharing. Self-efficacy plays a mediating role between CTP and knowledge sharing, and emotional exhaustion plays a mediating role between HTP and knowledge sharing. The perceived organizational support can moderate the relationship between CTP and self-efficacy and between HTP and emotional exhaustion.

Originality/value

This study explains the reasons for the academic controversy about the effect of time pressure, enhances the scholars’ attention and understanding of the dual-path mechanism between time pressure and knowledge sharing and augments the theoretical research of time pressure and knowledge sharing.

Rethinking companies’ culture through knowledge management lens during Industry 5.0 transition

Purpose

Through the human resources (HR) and knowledge management (KM) perspective as human-centric processes, the aim of this study is to explore how companies’ engagement in diversity (DIV), inclusion (INC) and people empowerment (PEMP) policies influences companies’ organizational performance, to support organizations in the shift to the Industry 5.0 framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Combining the HR management and the KM-driven organizational culture, a conceptual model is proposed for explaining companies’ higher organizational performance. Proposed hypotheses are tested with reference to a set of listed international companies traced by Refinitiv on a five-year time horizon (2016–2020) through 24,196 firm-year observations.

Findings

This research shows that companies engaged in DIV policies, INC practices and PEMP through education have higher profitability and are more valued by capital markets’ investors.

Originality/value

This paper draws attention to the need to overcome the reductionist view of HR and rethink KM architecture to cope with the growing challenge of HR integration according to the Industry 5.0 paradigm.

Can paternalistic leaders enhance knowledge sharing? The roles of organizational commitment and Islamic work ethics

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the effect of paternalistic leadership (benevolent, moral and authoritarian) on knowledge sharing of nurses through the mediation of organizational commitment (affective, continuance and normative). Further, the study examines the moderating role of Islamic work ethics on the association between organizational commitment and knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

In this quantitative study, data was collected from 312 nurses working in the health-care sector of Pakistan through “Google Forms” in two waves. Moreover, structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The study noted affective and normative commitment as mediators between the associations of benevolent, moral and authoritarian leadership with knowledge sharing, whereas continuance commitment was not found as an explaining variable. In addition, Islamic work ethics was found to strengthen the association of affective and normative commitment with knowledge sharing. However, Islamic work ethics was found to weaken the association between continuance commitment and knowledge sharing.

Practical implications

This study offers practical insights for health-care executives to act as fatherly figures to enhance the knowledge sharing of their nurses. The study recommends that managers in the health-care system build such an environment that helps nurses follow Islamic work ethics. It may enhance their level of organizational commitment and encourage them to engage in knowledge sharing behaviors to have a successful work environment.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to extend the literature on paternalistic leadership. More specifically, this study investigated how various dimensions of paternalistic leadership (benevolent, moral and authoritarian) effects three-dimensional commitment (affective, continuance and normative) to enhance knowledge sharing behavior among nurses.

Motivation in organisational online knowledge sharing

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the influence of intrinsic motives (self-efficacy, reputation and reciprocity) on online knowledge sharing behaviour. Additionally, this research investigates the moderating role of individual innovation capability and top management support.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology adopted was a questionnaire survey of employees working in Vietnamese telecommunications companies. A total of 501 employees completed a self-administered anonymous survey using a cross-sectional design. Confirmatory factor analysis and ordinary least squared – based hierarchical regression was used to test the conceptual framework.

Findings

Self-efficacy, reputation and reciprocity significantly impact online knowledge sharing behaviour. Specifically, self-efficacy has an inverted U-shape association while reputation and reciprocity have a positively, returns-to-scale association with online knowledge sharing behaviour. Individual innovation capability moderates the effect on these associations as does top management support, but to a lesser extent.

Research limitations/implications

Data were obtained at a single point in time and self-reported. Furthermore, this study was conducted in a specific industry in Vietnam, i.e. telecommunications, which limits the generalisability of the research.

Practical implications

Organisations need to create a favourable environment for online knowledge sharing to foster reciprocal relationships and interpersonal interactions of employees. Encouraging and rewarding employees to actively engage in knowledge exchange will help facilitate reciprocal online knowledge sharing behaviour.

Originality/value

This study contributes to knowledge-sharing behaviour by uncovering an inverted U-shape association and positively, returns-to-scale associations between intrinsic antecedents and online knowledge sharing behaviour. Additionally, individual innovation capability was an important moderator which has been overlooked in past research.