This study examines the relationship between employees' perception of knowledge management systems (KMS) and their knowledge sharing behavior (KS) within a book company. It focuses on how trust, psychological safety, and autonomy moderate this relationship. The study involved 194 employees from various organizational levels and departments who completed an online survey.
Findings indicate that employees' perception of KMS, organizational trust, and autonomy significantly relate to KS behavior, whereas psychological safety does not. Trust and psychological safety were found to moderate the relationship between perception of KMS and KS behavior, emphasizing the significance of interpersonal factors in effective KMS implementation. This moderation effect was particularly strong among individuals with low levels of trust and psychological safety. The study provides evidence that promoting positive and trustful relationships is crucial in translating a favorable perception of KMS into actual knowledge sharing behavior, in addition to improving and adapting KMS.
Table of Contents
1. Executive summary
2. Abstract
3. Introduction
3.1 What motivates people to share knowledge?
3.2 Hypotheses
3.2.1 Trust
3.2.2 Psychological safety
3.2.3 Autonomy
4. Method
4.1 Participants
4.2 Instruments
4.2.1 Knowledge Sharing
4.2.2 Organizational Trust
4.2.3 Psychological safety
4.2.4 Autonomy
4.2.5 Perception of KMS
4.3 Procedure
4.4 Data Analysis
5. Result
5.1 Descriptive Statistics
5.2 Hypothesis Testing
6. Discussion
6.1 Theoretical discussion
6.2 Practical implication and recommendation
6.3 Limitations and future research
6.4 Conclusion
Research Objectives & Topics
The research investigates the influence of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) on knowledge sharing behavior and analyzes whether trust, psychological safety, and autonomy act as moderators in this relationship within a retail organization.
- The impact of KMS perception on knowledge sharing.
- The moderating role of organizational trust in digital knowledge environments.
- Psychological safety as a driver for effective knowledge exchange.
- The significance of job autonomy in professional knowledge management.
- Improving knowledge sharing culture in hybrid work settings.
Excerpt from the Book
What motivates people to share knowledge?
Cabrera et al. (2006) stressed that there is more to effective knowledge sharing than effective systems. According to the theory of planned behavior by Icek Ajzen (1985), for people to want to execute a behavior, there needs to be a positive attitude and a subjective norm toward the behavior. To better grasp the idea of knowledge sharing, researchers have tried to come up with models that sum up the most important promoters of knowledge sharing (Bulan & Sensuse 2013; Haque et al., 2015; Ismail & Yusof, 2008). All of these models demonstrate that a combination of technological possibilities (KSM usefulness, information technology), organizational factors (leadership support, reward, autonomy) and psychological factors (job commitment, self-efficacy, motivation, trust) are crucial for knowledge sharing behavior within an organization (Chai & Kim, 2012; Demirel & Goc, 2013; Kang et al., 2017). Knowledge sharing can also be promoted when it is perceived as a social norm, and when employees experience organizational support for their ideas (Cabrera et al., 2006; Wu et al., 2022). Leinonen and Bluemink (2008) stated that knowledge is not only shared due to a lack of knowledge content. Team members share knowledge according to a shared frame of reference and a common task goal, which strengthens the importance of collaboration and positive social interactions (Bluemink, 2008). In general, for employees to share their knowledge, there needs to be a sharing culture, fostered by spontaneous exchange between employees and a sense of community (Smith & McKeen, 2003).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides a background on the importance of knowledge sharing in modern organizations and introduces the role of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) alongside organizational challenges.
Method: Details the research design, including the online survey of 194 employees, the instruments used to measure variables, and the statistical analysis methods.
Result: Presents descriptive statistics and the outcomes of the moderation analysis, confirming the positive impact of KMS and the moderating role of trust and psychological safety.
Discussion: Interprets the findings by contextualizing them within existing literature, discusses practical HR recommendations, and acknowledges the study's limitations.
Keywords
Knowledge sharing, KMS, trust, psychological safety, autonomy, organizational learning, digital work environment, human factors, knowledge management, employee performance, virtual teams, communication, Thalia, decision-making, workplace culture
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The research explores how employees' perceptions of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) influence their actual knowledge sharing behavior and how social and psychological factors influence this dynamic.
Which factors are examined as potential moderators?
The study examines three specific psychological and organizational factors: organizational trust, psychological safety, and job autonomy.
What is the primary research question?
The core research questions explore to what extent KMS perception relates to knowledge sharing and how trust, psychological safety, and autonomy moderate that specific relationship.
Which scientific methodology was applied?
The study utilized a quantitative approach involving an online survey of 194 employees, followed by descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis with a simple slope analysis for moderation testing.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the motivation behind knowledge sharing, detailed hypotheses regarding interpersonal factors, the methodology of the survey, statistical results of the impacts, and theoretical and practical discussions.
Which keywords define this thesis?
Key terms include knowledge sharing, KMS, trust, psychological safety, autonomy, organizational learning, and digital work environment.
Why are low-trust groups more affected by the moderation effect?
In low-trust environments, employees lack informal communication channels, causing them to rely more heavily on official technological systems, which makes the perception of these systems a crucial driver for their behavior.
Did the study confirm that autonomy moderates the relationship?
No, while autonomy was shown to relate significantly to knowledge sharing, it did not show a significant moderating effect on the relationship between KMS perception and knowledge sharing.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Patricia Dittmar (Autor:in), 2023, Technology and Knowledge Sharing. The Moderating Effect of Trust, Psychological Safety and Autonomy, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1514091
