This article is a comprehensive summary of the study titled “An Empirical Study of Employees’ Tacit Knowledge Sharing Behavior,” which was published in the Journal of Systems Science and Information in June 2015.
Title: Enhancing Organizational Competitiveness through Tacit Knowledge Sharing: An Empirical Investigation
Abstract:
This paper examines the antecedents of employees’ tacit knowledge-sharing behavior within organizations engaged in complex product development. Using structural equation modeling on data collected from 258 knowledge workers, the study identifies trust, self-efficacy, knowledge tacitness, and IT support as significant influencers of tacit knowledge-sharing behaviors—namely, socialization, externalization, and internalization. These findings have profound implications for enhancing organizational competitiveness through strategic knowledge management practices.
1. Introduction
In today’s knowledge-driven economy, tacit knowledge—unarticulated, intuitive insights, and know-how—remains a pivotal yet underexplored component of organizational intellectual capital. Unlike explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge is deeply embedded in individual experiences and involves intangible factors such as personal beliefs, perspectives, and value systems. This study builds on the framework proposed by Polanyi (1967), who first distinguished between tacit and explicit knowledge, emphasizing the importance of tacit knowledge as primarily acquired through personal experience and often communicated through personal contact.
2. Literature Review
The distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge forms the foundation of knowledge management research. Tacit knowledge is inherently personal, context-specific, and difficult to formalize, making it a valuable asset for organizations due to its inimitability (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). Prior studies have established the significance of tacit knowledge in achieving sustainable competitive advantages and enhancing organizational innovation and performance (Haas and Hansen, 2007; Leonard and Sensiper, 1998).
The process of sharing tacit knowledge within an organization is influenced by multiple factors:
- Trust: Trust is a crucial facilitator of knowledge sharing, acting as a social control that influences interpersonal relationships within organizations (Holste and Fields, 2010).
- Self-efficacy: Defined as an individual’s belief in their capabilities to execute actions required to manage prospective situations (Bandura, 1997), self-efficacy impacts an individual’s participation in knowledge-sharing activities.
- Knowledge Tacitness: The degree of tacitness affects the ease with which knowledge can be articulated and shared within the organization.
- IT Support: Information technology plays a significant role in enabling and facilitating knowledge-sharing processes, especially in distributed environments (Alavi and Leidner, 2001).
3. Methodology
A quantitative research methodology was employed, with a structured questionnaire distributed among employees of several Chinese firms engaged in complex product development. The study used structural equation modeling to analyze the relationships between the proposed antecedents and tacit knowledge-sharing behaviors. Variables were measured on a five-point Likert scale, and the questionnaire included sections designed to assess trust, self-efficacy, knowledge tacitness, and IT support.
4. Findings
The analysis revealed the following:
- Trust significantly enhances all three tacit knowledge-sharing behaviors. Trust within teams fosters an environment conducive to the free flow of tacit knowledge.
- Self-efficacy positively impacts externalization and internalization but has no significant effect on socialization, suggesting that confidence in knowledge-sharing capabilities is crucial for converting tacit knowledge into explicit forms.
- Knowledge Tacitness negatively impacts externalization and internalization, indicating the inherent challenges in articulating tacit knowledge.
- IT Support significantly enhances all three behaviors, underlining the role of technology in facilitating knowledge management processes.
5. Discussion
This study contributes to the understanding of how tacit knowledge is shared within organizations and the factors that facilitate or hinder this process. The findings emphasize the necessity of fostering an organizational culture that supports trust and self-efficacy, implements robust IT systems, and addresses the challenges posed by the tacitness of knowledge.
6. Implications for Practice
Organizations should focus on developing trust among employees, enhancing their self-efficacy regarding knowledge-sharing capabilities, and leveraging IT to support knowledge sharing. Management practices that encourage open communication and knowledge exchange should be adopted to mitigate the barriers posed by knowledge tacitness.
7. Limitations and Directions for Future Research
While this study provides valuable insights, it is limited by its geographical and cultural context—China. Future research could explore these phenomena in different organizational and cultural settings to enhance the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, qualitative methods could be employed to gain deeper insights into tacit knowledge-sharing processes.
8. Conclusion
The study reaffirms the critical role of tacit knowledge in enhancing organizational competitiveness and offers a nuanced understanding of the dynamics involved in tacit knowledge sharing. By aligning organizational practices with the identified antecedents, firms can better harness the power of tacit knowledge to sustain competitive advantages.
References:
A comprehensive list of references, including seminal works by Polanyi, Nonaka and Takeuchi, Bandura, and others, provides a solid theoretical grounding for the study and situates it within the broader discourse of knowledge management and organizational behavior.
