Distributed leadership and exploratory and exploitative innovations: mediating roles of tacit and explicit knowledge sharing and organizational trust

Demystifying the eighth lean waste: a knowledge waste scale

Purpose

Since few studies have explored and advanced on the development of measures of knowledge waste, the purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a scale for measuring the waste of knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

A research was carried out in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) divided into five distinct stages, three qualitative and two quantitative. For the quantitative steps, a sample of 223 responses was obtained for the exploratory part and another sample of 614 responses for the confirmatory part of the study. Data analysis procedures involved Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis to test and validate the proposed scale.

Findings

A fifteen-item scale divided into four constructs was obtained after refinement of the proposed scale and validation procedures (convergent and discriminant validity). The scale also has satisfactory levels of reliability.

Research limitations/implications

The resulting scale was validated in a single institutional culture environment (HEIs in Southern Brazil). So it still should be tested in different organizational contexts and cross-culturally in different countries. The scale may be useful for decision-making improvement about knowledge management and waste reduction.

Practical implications

A scale with a practical and quick application is provided. Additionally, a classification of the waste of knowledge level was developed and it could be easily applied in different sectors or organizations.

Originality/value

The literature on waste of knowledge is limited and often confused with knowledge loss. This study provides a clear distinction between these topics, and it advances on the explanation and definition of knowledge waste. Also, it is the first study to offer a scale to measure the elements of knowledge waste.

The moderating effect of psychological trust on knowledge spillovers and firms' open innovation

Psychological trust is an important link in building interpersonal relationships and has a significant impact on the attitude and behavior of knowledge subjects. Based on the characteristics of knowledge attributes, this paper analyzed the data of 180 high-tech firms in China from 2014 to 2020 to deeply explore the effects of explicit knowledge spillover and tacit knowledge spillover on firms' open innovation, and the moderating effect of psychological trust on the relationship between the two. It is found that: first, explicit knowledge spillover and tacit knowledge spillover have an inverted U-shaped relationship with firms' open innovation, i.e., the effect of open innovation increases and then decreases as the degree of knowledge spillover increases; second, psychological trust positively moderates the non-linear relationship between knowledge spillover and firms' open innovation. This paper provides a rational explanation of firms' management behavior from a psychological perspective, and enriches and expands the research related to knowledge spillover, firms' open innovation and psychological trust. It is suggested that firms should pay more attention to inter-organizational trust relationships and pay attention to the psychological growth and development of knowledge employees to improve open innovation in firms.

Is not workplace gossip bad? The effect of positive workplace gossip on employee innovative behavior

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of positive workplace gossip (PWG) in employee innovative behavior, whereby a mediating effect of employee loyalty is proposed in this relationship. The moderating effect of organizational trust (OT) is also examined on the indirect of PWG on employee innovative behavior through employee loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used a survey data of 327 employees from the enterprises selected from the Pearl River and Yangtze River Delta region of China. Based on the literature review, five main hypotheses were formulated and explored. The SPSS-Process Macro Plugin was used to analyze the hypothesized model.

Findings

Results show there is a positive and significant relationship between PWG and employee innovative behavior. This study also confirm that employee loyalty is an intervening variable and OT as a moderator.

Practical implications

Organizations should pay more attention to workplace gossip phenomena, encourage employees to take appropriate part in positive workplace gossip and to communicate positive information about other colleagues, and build an inclusive, open, sincere, and interdependent platform in the organization.

Originality/value

Employee innovative behavior plays an essential role in organization's survival and development. Few studies have investigated PWG may promote employee innovative behavior through employee loyalty. The data, model, and findings of this research address the gap and complement the current state of knowledge.

How organizational trust impacts organizational citizenship behavior: Organizational identification and employee loyalty as mediators

Research on the influence of organizational trust (OT) on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of employees has been conducted for years, but the influence of internal mechanism for OT on OCB is not well studied. Based on social exchange theory and organizational identity theory, this paper explored the OT on the OCB and revealed the chain-mediating role of organizational identification (OI) and employee loyalty (EL) from both employees' cognitive and psychological perspectives. The research employed a two-wave and multi-source strategy to conduct hypothesis validation with 305 validated questionnaires of Chinese enterprises. The results of the empirical analysis show that: (1) OT has a significant effect on OCB; (2) OI plays a mediating role between OT and OCB; (3) EL plays a mediating role between OT and OCB; and (4) OI and EL have a significant chain-mediating role between OT and OCB. The results of this study have deepened the understanding of organizational trust and have important practical implications for improving organizational citizenship behavior, organizational identification, and employee loyalty.

Digital leadership and exploratory innovation: From the dual perspectives of strategic orientation and organizational culture

The literature on leadership is increasingly supporting the power of digital leadership in promoting corporate innovation. In spite of this, digital leadership is a noticeable omission from the literature. As such, in this study, we developed a model based on a resource-based view and social information processing theory to examine the roles of digital entrepreneurial orientation and digital organizational culture in the relationship between digital leadership and exploratory innovation. We examined the moderating role of big data analytics capabilities according to a resource-based view and dynamic capability theory. Using a time-lagged survey data of 401 followers and 88 leaders, the results show that (a) digital leadership has a positive impact on exploratory innovation; (b) digital entrepreneurial orientation and digital organizational culture mediate the positive relationship between digital leadership and exploratory innovation; and (c) and mediating effect is positive moderated by big data analytics capabilities. Thus, in this study we are not only responding to the call to strengthen digitalization research in organizations but also further deepening our understanding of the path from digital leadership to exploratory innovation. These findings have theoretical implications for the literature on leadership and managerial implications for practitioners.

Rewards and knowledge sharing in the CoPS development context: the moderating role of transformational leadership

Purpose

Knowledge sharing (KS) among employees is critical to successfully developing complex products and systems (CoPS) but is often hampered by employees’ low motivations. The purpose of this study is to investigate how extrinsic and intrinsic rewards influence employees’ explicit knowledge sharing (EKS) and tacit knowledge sharing (TKS) in the CoPS development context. This study also examines the moderating effects of transformational leadership on the relationships between two types of rewards and two types of KS.

Design/methodology/approach

This study builds a research model based on expectancy value theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. To test hypotheses, the authors surveyed 257 employees in CoPS projects and analyzed data with the partial least squares structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear modeling.

Findings

The results of this study demonstrate that extrinsic rewards exert no effect on EKS but negatively affect TKS, while intrinsic rewards significantly promote both EKS and TKS. Moreover, transformational leadership positively moderates the abovementioned relationships.

Originality/value

This study extends the research scenario of KS motivations and responds to the call for shedding light on contextual factors influencing KS. This study also offers a comprehensive theoretical perspective to understand KS motivations. Practically, this study provides managers with suggestions about how to use different rewards to encourage different KS practices.

Exploring the effect of team climate on knowledge management in teams through team work engagement: evidence from knowledge-intensive firms

Purpose

Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this paper aims to investigate the impact of team climate (TC) supporting trust, cohesion and innovativeness on knowledge management (KM) in teams through the mediating role of teamwork engagement (TWEG).

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 246 employees working in Tunisian knowledge-intensive firms (KIFs) and involved in 69 service R&D teams. The authors applied the partial least squares-structural equation modeling approach for data analysis using SMART PLS 3.2 software.

Findings

Findings provide evidence that TWEG mediates the link between TC characterized by trust, cohesion and innovativeness and KM in teams. In the line of the JD-R model, results also show that such TC provides job resources to team members that act as vitamins nurturing TWEG, which in turn boosts KM in teams.

Originality/value

To shed light on the micro-level foundations of KM, this paper enriches the KM literature through pioneering the examination of the effect of TC on KM in teams. It proposes an extension of the JD-R model through highlighting the TWEG’s mediating role in the motivational pathway leading teams to invest in KM activities under a supportive TC. It provides key insights into the importance for managers to implement team-oriented policies toward cultivating trust, innovativeness and cohesion within teams to create more dedicated, vigorous and absorbed teams in which intrinsically motivated knowledge workers are likely to collectively engage in KM activities.

Multinational Enterprises’ Knowledge Transfer Received Dimensions and Subsidiary Innovation Performance: The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices and Training and Development Types

In this paper, we adopt the resource-based view theory as the theoretical framework to empirically investigate the relationship among knowledge transfer received dimensions (i.e., tacit and explicit), human resource management practices, training and development types (i.e., on-the-job training and development, and off-the-job training and development) and subsidiary innovation performance. Using a survey dataset from 314 subsidiaries of foreign multinational enterprises located in China, we find that: (1) knowledge transfer received dimensions contribute to subsidiary innovation performance; (2) human resource management practices can positively moderate knowledge transfer received dimensions and subsidiary innovation performance; (3) the positive effect of human resource management practices on the knowledge transfer received dimensions- subsidiary innovation performance link increases when on-the-job training and development and off-the-job training and development is high. The study also provides insight into how knowledge transfer received dimensions, human resource management practices, and training and development types matter importantly to the subsidiary’s innovation performance.

HOW DOES ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP PROMOTE INNOVATIVE WORK BEHAVIOUR? THROUGH MEDIATING ROLE OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND MODERATING ROLE OF PERSON-JOB FIT

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) on innovative work behaviour (IWB). It also heightens the perception of the pathways to improve innovative work behaviour by evaluating the mediating role of knowledge sharing (KS) and of person–job fit. The findings indicate that KS mediates the effects of EL on innovative work behaviour. In addition, the influences of KS on aspects of innovative work behaviour are different and depend on the extent of person–job fit. This paper highlights the important role of person–job fit in enhancing the effects of KS activities and innovative work behaviour. The study provides evidence that EL is the main driving force of KS and innovative work behaviour performance. Thus, organisations should prioritise implementing leadership development programs to stimulate KS activities and foster the firm’s innovative work behaviour. This study conducts a questionnaire survey and applies Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test hypotheses in the proposed research model based on data collected from 355 participants in Jordanian firms Securities Commission list of approximately 235 enterprises. Originality/value. The study significantly fills the gaps in the literature that emphasises how KS mediates the influence of EL on innovative work behaviour. By exploring the moderator of a person–job fit, this paper significantly contributes to advancing the deeper insight of the specific conditions to strengthen the relationship between KS and innovative work behaviour.

Perceived corporate social responsibility and knowledge sharing: mediating roles of employees’ eudaimonic and hedonic well-being

Purpose

This study aims to develop a series of hypotheses that are tested based on a survey design methodology. Data collected from 281 knowledge workers operating in mid-level positions within knowledge-intensive firms (KIFs) operating in the information and communication technology (ICT) Tunisian sector was analysed through the partial-least square-structural equation modelling (method.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the social identity and the social exchange theories, this study aims to examine the link between perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) and knowledge sharing (KS) and the mediating effects of eudaimonic well-being (EWB) and hedonic well-being in this relationship.

Findings

Results indicate that perceived CSR among employees exerts a positive direct impact on KS, EWB and hedonic well-being. These two types of well-being are found to be key factors improving the willingness of employees to share their knowledge within the organization. Findings also revealed that EWB partially mediates the link between perceived CSR and KS.

Originality/value

This research pioneers the investigation of the mediating effects of eudaimonic and hedonic well-being between perceived CSR and KS that have never been examined. The results of this study provide practical insights for managers of KIFs regarding the CSR practices that may have a strong influence on employees’ hedonic and EWB and KS behaviour.

Measuring the Innovation Orientation of Organizational Culture: An Application to the Service Provider Companies of the State-Owned Oil Company PEMEX in the Southeast of Mexico

Organizational culture (OC) is one of the key factors that enables the development of innovation. A great deal of research has analyzed the characteristics that make up an innovation-focused OC; however, none have unified them. This article analyzes and integrates the literature on the characteristics of an innovation OC. Its objective was to test whether there is a specific set of distinctive characteristics of an innovation-focused OC that, once identified, can be implemented and developed by firms. To this end, this study proposed and tested a model for measuring the innovation orientation of an OC. This study collected samples from small- and medium-sized companies from the oil-producing states of Mexico, obtaining information from 176 companies. To determine the group of characteristics that make up an organizational culture of innovation (OCI), the authors applied non-experimental, descriptive, transactional research with a quantitative approach. Results were obtained through the application of the following statistical techniques: Bonnet test, KMO index, Bartlett’s sphericity, Chi-square, confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, principal component analysis and structural equations, which made it possible to measure the level of innovation of the OCI of these companies and to determine the characteristics that comprise it. The proposed model allowed us to identify the existence of a specific group of behavioral characteristics that emanate from a company’s personnel and another group of characteristics that arise from the company itself. Both integrated groups determine whether the OC is focused on innovation. The results also confirmed that the level of innovation of a company depends greatly on its personnel. The authors found no previous work that analyzed these characteristics from the joint perspectives of employees, middle managers and managers. This research considered the opinions of these agents, which confers greater veracity to the findings obtained. The limitations and implications are listed at the end of the study.

Impact of Diversity Management on Employees’ Engagement: The Role of Organizational Trust and Job Insecurity

The frequent world changes raised by globalization, new technology development, and the increase in migration movements have generated an immensely diversified workforce. To face these challenges, managers started to seek the best strategies to effectively run this mixed environment and implement the leading diversity management policies for human resource management sustainability, which is also considered as very constructive in boosting employees’ performance, motivation, satisfaction, as well as their work engagement. Consistently, this paper examines the impact of service companies’ diversity management systems on employees’ engagement and the moderating role of organizational trust and job insecurity in that relationship. As we opted for a quantitative study, we managed a survey based on a questionnaire dedicated to 580 employees working in Hungarian companies, specializing in Marketing, Management consulting, IT, and logistics services, to effectively assess the hypothesis concluded from the literature review. With the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) as a data analysis tool, our findings reveal that diversity management has a positive significant effect on Employees’ engagement and that organizational trust and job insecurity truly and significantly mediate that association. Along with social exchange theory, our research contributes to affirming that by implementing proper diversity management practices and by ensuring a trustworthy environment and outstanding work conditions, managers are constructively able to assist their employees, raise their involvement, and minimize the level of job insecurities.

Knowledge has no value until it is shared: an empowering leadership perceptive

Purpose

The effect of empowering leadership on knowledge sharing is well defined, but factors that stimulate employees for knowledge sharing are still limited. Therefore, this study aims to address to what extent empowering leadership is desirable to create a trustful and fair environment that is conducive for an employee’s knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

Through integration of social exchange, equity and uncertainty management theories develop a moderating mediating model that links empowering leadership to knowledge sharing. Three-wave data collection from the sample of 375 managers–subordinates’ dyads was done in Pakistan textile industries.

Findings

Hierarchal regression analysis and bootstrapping method were applied to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that affective trust partially mediates the relationship between empowering leadership and knowledge sharing. More especially, the findings demonstrate that the relationship between empowering leadership and knowledge sharing becomes strong with high level of distributive and procedural justices.

Practical implications

This research study uses empowering leadership as a proposed motivational pathway for stimulating employee’s knowledge sharing through development of affective trust and buffering effect of distributive and procedural justices.

Originality/value

Most of previous research in knowledge sharing just cynosure organizational-level elements like leadership and organizational justices but deteriorate individual factors like trust. Therefore, this study will combine both organizational- and individual-level factors for urging employees for knowledge sharing.

The Effect of Relational Capital on Organizational Performance in Supply Chain: The Mediating Role of Explicit and Tacit Knowledge Sharing

Relational capital and organizational performance were important factors for achieving sustainable development of the supply chain, and knowledge sharing could create and maintain sustainable competitive advantages of the supply chain. This study examined the comprehensive relationship among relational capital, explicit and tacit knowledge sharing, and organizational performance and the mediating roles of explicit and tacit knowledge sharing between relational capital and organizational performance in the supply chain by using data collected from a questionnaire survey. SPSS, AMOS, and a structural equation model were used to analysis these data and the aforementioned relationships. The results confirmed that relational capital had a positive impact on explicit and tacit knowledge sharing, there was no relation to organizational performance, and explicit and tacit knowledge sharing played mediating roles between relational capital and organizational performance in the supply chain. The research results could provide theoretical guidance for managers to formulate sustainable development strategies that maintain good relationships and economic benefits of enterprises in the supply chain.

Consumer Knowledge Sharing Behavior and Consumer Purchase Behavior: Evidence from E-Commerce and Online Retail in Hungary

The twenty-first century has been full of fundamental changes in consumers’ behavior patterns, especially with the use of diverse social media knowledge-sharing platforms. Therefore, companies have highlighted the significance of knowledge sharing and the importance of social network use in purchasing processes. Accordingly, his paper tries to reveal how consumer purchase behavior (CPB) can be affected by consumer knowledge sharing behavior (CKSB) and the moderating role played by value co-creation dimensions, which are citizenship behavior (CB) and participation behavior (PB), within a sustainable e-commerce field. To test our hypotheses deducted from the literature review, we opted for the PLS-SEM method. We also employed other innovative approaches, such as the IPMA matrix, MAICOM test, FIMIX approach, and CTA analysis, to evaluate the outer and inner model. Our statistical population covered individuals living in Hungary with at least one online purchase involvement. We distributed the questionnaire via various online platforms and, finally, 433 completed questionnaires were prepared for analysis. The results showed that CPB, CB, and PB are positively influenced by the CKSB. However, the link between CPB and CB was not confirmed. As for the moderating role of gender, the permutation test was applied to compare male and female groups and see the difference between them. With a focus on CKSB, this study contributes to the success of international marketing strategies to attain higher competitive advantages.

Do mistakes acceptance foster innovation? Polish and US cross-country study of tacit knowledge sharing in IT

Purpose

This study aims to understand and compare how the mechanism of innovative processes in the information technology (IT) industry – the most innovative industry worldwide – is shaped in Poland and the USA in terms of tacit knowledge awareness and sharing driven by a culture of knowledge and learning, composed of a learning climate and mistake acceptance.

Design/methodology/approach

Study samples were drawn from the IT industry in Poland (n = 350) and the USA (n = 370) and analyzed using the structural equation modeling method.

Findings

True learning derives from mistake acceptance. As a result of a risk-taking attitude and critical thinking, the IT industry in the USA is consistently innovation-oriented. Specifically, external innovations are highly correlated with internal innovations. Moreover, a knowledge culture supports a learning culture via a learning climate. A learning climate is an important facilitator for learning from mistakes.

Originality/value

This study revealed that a high level of mistake acceptance stimulates a risk-taking attitude that offers a high level of tacit knowledge awareness as a result of critical thinking, but critical thinking without readiness to take a risk is useless for tacit knowledge capturing.