Analysis of Mechanisms that Motivate Knowledge Sharing: A Case Study

In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations have realized the significance of knowledge sharing as a strategic source of competitive advantage. This realization has led to increased attention from the academic community in the last two decades. However, despite the importance, existing research in this area have claimed insufficient attention to micro-level (individual) variables and relationships that lead to knowledge sharing. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mechanisms that motivate employee knowledge sharing. The empirical part of the study was conducted between May and June 2015, through a qualitative single case study of a Finnish company in a multi-sector training, consultancy, and planning. Data for the research were collected using both primary and secondary methods to ensure triangulation. Five semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted and analyzed using inductive reasoning approach. The results suggest that human, cultural and social psychological factors are central to the success of knowledge sharing among employees. Further, HRM practices were found to help enhance human and social psychological factors that promote both individual capabilities, as well as, their willingness to share knowledge with others. Also, organizational cultural factors were found to play a crucial role in motivating employees to share knowledge with others. The study contributes to the theory by drawing attention to the significance of micro-level dynamics in knowledge sharing practices through the formulation of the theoretical framework. Furthermore, managers can use the results of this study to enhance the well-being of employees by actively implementing HRM practices that will promote and increase the organization’s knowledge base.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format