Managing knowledge successfully is key for an organization to increase its innovative potential. The InKTI method supports the improvement of knowledge transfers in product and production engineering. To ensure acceptance, applicability, and contribution to success in practice, it is necessary to validate the InKTI method. This paper focuses on evaluating the contribution to success in a Live-Lab study with student engineering teams. Based on the results two consecutive field studies have been conducted to evaluate not only the success but also support, and applicability of the InKTI method.

Promoting knowledge sharing among employees is vital for companies whose competitive advantage is based on innovation. However, there is inadequate empirical evidence to show that human resource practices intensify knowledge sharing. Thus, this study examines whether high-commitment human resource management can boost knowledge sharing among staff members. A cross-sectional survey of permanent employees was conducted (N = 480) to examine the suitability of the secondary constructs ‘knowledge sharing in the organisation’ and ‘high-commitment human resource management’ using confirmatory factor analysis; their mutual relationship via structural equation modelling was also explored. The findings indicate that high-commitment human resource management increases knowledge dissemination in organisations. Additionally, they suggest that firms should concentrate on hiring selectively, providing autonomy and motivating work tasks to employees, setting practices for performance management and career management, and investing in employee training and development to support firm innovativeness.

As organisations grow, consequences of poor knowledge management are evident for new employees in product developing companies. The problem of leveraging existing knowledge between development projects and departments is still relevant. This paper presents an industrial case study of a traditional manufacturing company and extends prior research addressing the reuse of organisational knowledge in new product development. The paper outlines barriers that hinder effective reuse of codified engineering knowledge and suggest means to overcome those barriers by using A3-reports in the PLM-system.

This paper adopts an explanatory sequential mixed method design to explore the impact of decentralized (vs. centralized) leadership on cross-functional teams' resource exchanges at a long-term care facility in Canada. In the quantitative phase, social network analyses were used to examine the direct and moderated effects (via leader–follower relationship quality; LMX) of the presence of formal decentralized leaders on: (1) knowledge sharing, and (2) work hindrance networks within cross-functional healthcare teams. In the qualitative phase, team members were interviewed regarding the impact of their decentralized leaders. Collectively, the findings suggest that the presence of a decentralized leader may enhance knowledge sharing and safeguard against work hindrance behaviors in cross-functional healthcare teams. However, these effects are contingent on the situation (e.g., LMX quality and status-based hierarchies). Implications for research and healthcare practice are discussed.

Previous studies suggest that intergroup contact has a positive effect on older workers’ perception of ageism and satisfaction. This study aims at assessing such relationships amongst Canadian younger workers. Precisely, in light of the intergroup contact theory (ICT), it was first hypothesized that a positive perception of intergenerational workplace climate (IWC) and knowledge sharing practices (KSP) increase younger workers’ awareness of ageist behaviors targeting older peers. Second, it was hypothesized that such awareness has a positive effect on young workers’ level of satisfaction. Relying on a cross-sectional design composed of 612 participants, path analysis was conducted. Findings suggest that whereas KSP increases younger workers’ awareness of ageist behaviors towards older workers, this is not the case for IWC. On the other hand, both IWC and KSP have a direct and positive impact on younger workers’ level of satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed.

When designing complex systems, multiple people contribute to the process of information collection in support of decision making. In this paper, we study information collection in the Issue Resolution Decision Support (IRDS) framework. We assess the difficulties associated with uncertainty in the often scarce data when implementing the framework in a company and map out how the data sources are scattered across the organization. We study the elicitation process and propose to leverage sensitivity analysis to better allocate data collection efforts.

We use community detection analysis to investigate the structure of Bengaluru's ICT cluster's inter-organizational network during the period 2015–2017. Building on the knowledge sourcing literature, we conjecture that cluster firms primarily build knowledge-seeking horizontal linkages with technologically similar companies, and that this splits the network into multiple technological communities within which firms are tightly connected, but between which linkages are scarce. We further propose that community-spanning firms which build horizontal linkages that bridge technological communities are more likely to conduct radical innovation than their peers. We finally argue that no relation exists between technological proximity and community formation in the network of vertical buyer-supplier relations. Using a voltage-based algorithm for community discovery, we draw empirical support for these predictions. We discuss the implications of our findings for Bengaluru's upgrading potential.

Some firms use hidden knowledge facilitators (HKFs) to facilitate knowledge sharing among employees within intrafirm online communities. These firms hope for enhanced knowledge sharing outcomes within their organizations without letting employees know that HKFs exist. Yet, the extent to which HKFs’ interventions are effective remains unknown to researchers and managers. Built on the knowledge sharing (KS) literature, this study explores the unique roles of HKFs as moderators between a company and its employees. We develop several hypotheses to test the impact of the quantity and quality of HKFs’ online interventions on several KS outcomes. By analyzing log data of a Chinese corporation's online R&D community, we find that (1) the quantity of HKFs’ intervention has a mostly positive impact on KS outcomes; (2) the quality of HKFs’ intervention has a mixed impact on several KS outcomes, depending on which aspect of quantity is considered; and (3) the quality of HKFs’ intervention also moderates the positive impact of the quantity of HKFs’ intervention in different ways on different intended KS outcomes. This study makes a clear contribution to the literature on knowledge sharing and knowledge facilitation by demonstrating the impact of HKFs on KS outcomes in a Chinese context.

The discipline of knowledge management (KM) considers knowledge as potentially the most valuable organisational asset that must be shared among staff and stakeholders and even communities in order to yield considerable returns and benefits. However, in a real-world context, managers in industries such as high technology, manufacturing and finance jealously guard their valuable knowledge and prevent other entities from gaining access to this resource. Open cases of knowledge sharing among stakeholders such as staff, customers, business partners, competitors and the public are rare. Therefore, the philosophical premise of KM — knowledge must be openly shared — is often unrealised. Knowledge of environmental sustainability is a valuable resource for ecotourism operators because they operate in natural environments such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Sipadan Marine Park in Malaysia, and depend on the quality of these environments for their ongoing success. This research provides evidence that knowledge dissemination in the form of environmental sustainability knowledge can be openly shared among staff, customers, competitors and the public, thereby linking KM and environmental education. This article provides an interpretivist analysis of knowledge sharing by innovative ecotourism operators in Australia and South East Asia (Malaysia and Thailand). Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 14 executives, field observations and analysis of company documents. Results from this research found that ecotourism managers are passionate believers of environmental sustainability and benevolently share their valuable organisational knowledge and beliefs with all stakeholders.

This article investigates the impact of cross-level interplay between team members’ and their leaders’ goal orientations (learning, performance approach, and performance avoidance) on knowledge sharing using samples from design teams in two companies in China. Our results show that team leaders’ learning goal orientation plays a critical moderating role. Specifically, team leaders’ learning goal orientation strengthens the positive relationship between team members’ learning orientation and knowledge sharing; positively moderates the relationship between team members’ performance approach orientation and knowledge sharing; and weakens the negative relationship between team members’ performance avoidance orientation and knowledge sharing. Team leaders’ performance approach orientation demonstrates a positive moderating effect when there is congruence between the performance approach orientation of leaders and members. Finally, team leaders’ performance avoidance orientation negatively moderates the relationship between team members’ learning and performance approach orientation on knowledge sharing. This research enhances our understanding of the conditions under which knowledge sharing occurs among team members, using the lens of Trait Activation Theory.

Introduction: TREKK is a national knowledge mobilization network of clinicians, researchers and parents aimed at improving emergency care for children by increasing collaborations between general and pediatric emergency departments (ED). This study aimed to determine patterns of knowledge sharing within the network and identify connections, barriers and opportunities to obtaining pediatric information and training. Methods: Social network analysis (SNA) uses network theory to understand patterns of interaction. Two SNAs were conducted in 2014 and 2015 using an online network survey distributed to 37 general EDs. Data was analyzed using UCI Net and Netdraw to identify connections, knowledge sharing and knowledge brokers within the network. Building on these results, we then conducted 22 semi-structured follow-up interviews (2016) with healthcare professionals (HCPs) at General EDs across Canada, purposefully sampled to include individuals from connected and disconnected sites, as identified in the SNA. Interviews were analyzed by 2 reviewers using content and thematic analysis. Results: SNA data was analyzed for 135 participants across the network. Results from 2014 showed that the network was divided along provincial lines, with most individuals connecting with colleagues within their own institution. Results from 2015 showed more inter-site interconnectivity and a reduction in isolated sites over time from 17 to 3. Interview participants included physicians (59%) and nurses (41%) from 18 general EDs in urban (68%) and rural/remote (32%) Canada. HCPs sought information both formally and informally, by using guidelines, talking to colleagues, and attending pediatric related training sessions. Network structure and processes were felt to increase connections, support practice change, and promote standards of care. Participants identified personal, organizational and system-level barriers to information and skill acquisition, including resources and personal costs, geography, dissemination, and time. Providing easy access to information at the point of care was promoted through enhancing content visibility and by embedding resources into local systems. There remains a need to share successful methods of local dissemination and implementation across the network, and to leverage local professional champions such as clinical nurse liaisons. Conclusion: This study highlights the power of a network to increase connections between HCPs working in general and pediatric EDs. Findings reinforce the critical role of ongoing network evaluation to improve the design and delivery of knowledge mobilization initiatives.

The knowledge exchanges literature considered all types of knowledge exchanges as reactive. The present study develops the conceptual framework and the measure of knowledge-based proactive helping that was missing in earlier literature. The measure was validated across multiple population. Proactive helping was manifested in the scale items effectively, to the extent that at first, initially chosen five dimensions merged to form two factors: professional development and problem mitigation and; subsequent analysis revealed that the factors represented the same underlying construct of proactive helping. The nomological network, a process model highlighting the psychosocial causes and benefits of proactive helping based upon social exchange theory and social motivation theory was also proposed. The significance of the study was in bringing the prosocial, proactive exchanges at the forefront of knowledge exchanges, which predominantly focussed on reactive exchanges.

In this paper, we explored the role of knowledge sharing on team creativity through absorptive capacity and knowledge integration, and tested the condition under which knowledge sharing is positively related to absorptive capacity and knowledge integration. We tested our hypotheses with a sample of 86 knowledge worker teams involving 381 employees and employers in China. Results demonstrate that knowledge sharing was positively related to team creativity, fully mediated by both absorptive capacity and knowledge integration. In addition, cognitive team diversity played a moderating role in the relationship between knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity, as well as in the relationship between knowledge sharing and knowledge integration. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings on knowledge management and team creativity are discussed.

Based on the job demands–resources model, this study considers how employees’ perceptions of organizational politics might reduce their engagement in organizational citizenship behavior. It also considers the moderating role of two contextual resources and one personal resource (i.e., supervisor transformational leadership, knowledge sharing with peers, and resilience) and argues that they buffer the negative relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and organizational citizenship behavior. Data from a Mexican-based manufacturing organization reveal that perceptions of organizational politics reduce organizational citizenship behavior, but the effect is weaker with higher levels of transformational leadership, knowledge sharing, and resilience. The buffering role of resilience is particularly strong when transformational leadership is low, thus suggesting a three-way interaction among perceptions of organizational politics, resilience, and transformational leadership. These findings indicate that organizations marked by strongly politicized internal environments can counter the resulting stress by developing adequate contextual and personal resources within their ranks.

This paper identifies how management’s intentional use of participatory management practices can heighten knowledge sharing across a multigenerational workforce through the presence of socio-technical flexibility. In this conceptualization, we identify the value of socio-technical flexibility to effective employee knowledge sharing in three steps. First, we define the prominent characteristics of the current multigenerational workforce. Second, we define the behavioral characteristics of socio-technical flexibility. Third, we describe how an intentional use of salient management practices, including reverse mentoring, flexible work roles, and self-managed teams optimizes multigenerational talents to enhance employee socio-technical flexibility, which in turn, leads to multigenerational knowledge sharing. We believe that by embracing the benefits of multigenerational workforce, management can take intentional steps to create a workplace that optimizes effective knowledge sharing behaviors for improved service through salient participatory management practices.

Drawing on perceived organizational support (POS) theory and employee-organizational relationship theories, this research investigated the association between POS and knowledge sharing as well as the potential moderating effects of perceived job security. Study participants were 255 information technology professionals and their supervisors working in the information technology industry in China. Findings showed that POS was positively related to knowledge sharing, and, as expected, perceived job security moderated the association. More specifically, the positive association between POS and employee knowledge sharing held only for employees who perceived higher job security from their organization. In contrast, POS was not significantly associated with knowledge sharing when employees perceived their job security to be relatively low. This latter result is consistent with contentions from employee-organizational relationships theories that limited investment by employers is likely to lead to lower contributions from employees. The findings are also congruent with arguments from social exchange theory that meaningful reciprocity is built on a history of open-ended exchanges whose development may be inconsistent with a shorter-term employment horizon.

R&D is uncertain work that involves the knowledge, skills, or perspectives of team members. When R&D teams develop new products or technologies, the need for psychological safety within the teams is increasingly emphasized. If R&D team members perceive that team psychological safety exists, they may be willing to offer knowledge or perspectives during the development process because they are not afraid of being rejected or embarrassed for speaking up. However, the application of the theory of team psychological safety to R&D teams is considerably limited. This study explores the antecedents and consequences of team psychological safety in R&D teams. Our research model is assessed using data from a sample of 245 team members from sixty technology R&D teams at a leading R&D institute and is analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) method. The results of this study suggest that: (1) social capital exerts a positive and significant effect on team psychological safety; (2) team psychological safety has a positive and significant impact on team performance; (3) knowledge sharing and team learning positively and significantly mediate the relationship between team psychological safety and team performance; and (4) knowledge sharing exhibits a positive and significant effect on team learning. This study also discusses the implications of team psychological safety for R&D teams.

This paper investigates the impact of leader feedback on followers’ knowledge-sharing behavior through a regulatory focus theory perspective. Data were collected through an experiment with 129 college students. Results showed that compared with leader’s prevention feedback style and negative feedback valence, promotion style and positive feedback valence inspire employee knowledge-sharing behavior better. These two positive relationships are mediated by promotion situational regulatory focus. The negative relationship between prevention leader feedback style and knowledge sharing is mediated by prevention situational regulatory focus, while negative leader feedback valence has its negative effect on knowledge sharing directly.