Abstract
This paper examines whether and how mid-level employees differ in their communication behaviors when sharing knowledge with targets from different hierarchical positions in an organization via a two-phase study design. The first phase of study involves semi-structured interviews with fifteen mid-level employees working in small- and medium-sized enterprises to explore how they behaved in different scenarios of knowledge sharing. Results showed that there are significant differences in their behaviors among different situations. A second-phase study was then conducted to statistically verify the effect of the three identified factors - efficiency concerns, compliance with social norms, and consideration of relationship – on employees’ knowledge sharing behaviors. Theoretically, the paper adds a new determinant to explain employees’ knowledge sharing behaviors. In practice, it informs managers about the important considerations employees would take into account when invited to participate in knowledge sharing.
Recommended Citation
Law, Kuok Kei and Du-Babcock, Bertha
(2017)
"A Hierarchical Perspective of Employees’ Knowledge Sharing Behaviors: A Two-Phase Study,"
Global Advances in Business and Communications Conference & Journal:
Vol. 6:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://commons.emich.edu/gabc/vol6/iss1/2