Knowledge sharing is an activity through which knowledge (namely, information, skills, or expertise) is exchanged among people, friends, peers, families, communities (for example, Wikipedia), or within or between organizations.[1][2] It bridges the individual and organizational knowledge, improving the absorptive and innovation capacity and thus leading to sustained competitive advantage of companies as well as individuals.[3] Knowledge sharing is part of the Knowledge management process.[4] Show
Apart from traditional face-to-face knowledge sharing, social media is a good tool because it is convenient, efficient, and widely used.[5] Organizations have recognized that knowledge constitutes a valuable intangible asset for creating and sustaining competitive advantages.[6] However, technology constitutes only one of the many factors that affect the sharing of knowledge in organizations, such as organizational culture, trust, and incentives.[7] The sharing of knowledge constitutes a major challenge in the field of knowledge management because some employees tend to resist sharing their knowledge with the rest of the organization.[8] In the digital world, websites and mobile applications enable knowledge or talent sharing between individuals and/or within teams. The individuals can easily reach the people who want to learn and share their talent to get rewarded. Knowledge sharing as flow or transfer[edit]Although knowledge is commonly treated as an object, Dave Snowden has argued it is more appropriate to teach it as both a flow and a thing.[9] Knowledge as a flow can be related to the concept of tacit knowledge.[10][11][12] While the difficulty of sharing knowledge is in transferring knowledge from one entity to another,[13][14] it may prove profitable for organizations to acknowledge the difficulties of knowledge transfer and adopt new knowledge management strategies accordingly.[9] Knowledge sharing levels[edit]Knowledge can be shared in different ways and levels. The following segmentation sheds light on the essence of sharing. Explicit knowledge[edit]Explicit knowledge sharing occurs when explicit knowledge is made available to be shared between entities. Explicit knowledge sharing can happen successfully when the following criteria are met:
Tacit knowledge[edit]Tacit knowledge sharing occurs through different types of socialization. Although tacit knowledge is difficult to identify and codify, relevant factors that influence tacit knowledge sharing include:
Embedded knowledge[edit]Embedded knowledge sharing occurs when knowledge is shared through clearly delineated products, processes, routines, etc. This knowledge can be shared in different ways, such as:
Methods[edit]There are several methods both formal and informal that have claims to enable knowledge sharing in organisations. These include, but are not limited to:
Connection to adjacent disciplines[edit]Information technology systems[edit]Information technology (IT) systems are common tools that help facilitate knowledge sharing and knowledge management.[32] The main role of IT systems is to help people share knowledge through common platforms and electronic storage to help make access simpler, encouraging economic reuse of knowledge. IT systems can provide codification, personalization, electronic repositories for information and can help people locate each other to communicate directly. With appropriate training and education, IT systems can make it easier for organizations to acquire, store or disseminate knowledge.[32] For instance, the implementation of discussion forums for enabling meaningful conversation, knowledge acquisition and peer engagement can pave the way for a knowledge‐sharing culture as opposed to a knowledge‐hoarding culture.[16] Economic theory[edit]In economic theory, knowledge sharing has been studied in the field of industrial organization and in the field of contract theory. In industrial organization, Bhattacharya, Glazer, and Sappington (1992) have emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing in research joint ventures in a context of imperfect competition.[33] In the theory of incomplete contracts, Rosenkranz and Schmitz (1999, 2003) have used the Grossman-Hart-Moore property rights approach to study how knowledge sharing is affected by the underlying ownership structure.[34][35] Importance to organizations[edit]Knowledge is transferred in organizations whether it is a managed process or not since everyday knowledge transfer is a key part of organizational life. However, finding the best expert to share their knowledge in a specific matter could be hard, especially in larger organizations. Therefore, a structured strategy for knowledge transfer is required for the organization to thrive.[15] Larger companies have a higher tendency to invest more on knowledge management processes, although competitive benefits are gained regardless of organization size.[36] In an organizational context, tacit knowledge refers to a kind of knowledge that human beings develop by the experience they gain over years.[37] At present the employees' experience and knowledge can be seen as the most important and most valuable source that organizations have to protect.[38] Knowledge constitutes a valuable, intangible asset for creating and sustaining competitive advantages within organizations.[6] Several factors affect knowledge sharing in organizations, such as organizational culture, trust, incentives, and technology.[7] In an organization, five distinct conditions of the organizational culture have a positive effect on knowledge-sharing: communication and coordination between groups, trust, top management support, the reward system, and openness.[4] Concerning the communication and coordination between groups condition, the organizations that are centralized with a bureaucratic management style can hinder the creation of new knowledge whereas a flexible decentralized organizational structure encourages knowledge-sharing.[39] Also, internationalization is crucial for compliance or conformity. Dalkir (2005) says that internationalization is believing that the "behavior dictated by the norm truly the right and proper way to behave".[4] If the norm is to communicate and collaborate between teams, it will be much easier for members of the group to internalize these values and act accordingly. Knowledge sharing activities are commonly supported by knowledge management systems, a form of information technology (IT) that facilitates and organizes information within a company or organization.[32] Challenges[edit]Knowledge sharing can sometimes constitute a
major challenge in the field of knowledge management.[11] Pinho et al. (2012) have made comprehensive literature review of knowledge management barriers and facilitators.[46] Barriers are considered to be obstacles that hinder knowledge acquisition, creation, sharing and transfer in and between organizations based on individual, socio-organizational or technological reasons. Respectively facilitators are seen as enabling factors that improve, stimulate or promote the flow of knowledge. According to Maier et al. (2002) understanding of the process supporting knowledge management enables further consideration of the obstacles and facilitating factors.[47] See also[edit]
References[edit]
Which term is used to describe a common understanding among team members?Cohesion: an emotional attachment to other members of the team and the team itself. Potency: the degree to which members believe the team can be effective across a variety of situations and tasks. Mental models: the level of common understanding among team members regarding the team and its tasks.
What are team States?Team states (also called team emergent states) refer to the feelings, cognitions, and motivations that team members have in common. You can think of team states as the beliefs that each and every member has while being involved with the team.
Which of the following are teamwork processes quizlet?Teamwork processes include transition processes, action processes, and interpersonal processes.
Which of the following teamwork processes are teamwork activities that focus on preparation for future work?transition processes are teamwork activities that focus on preparation for future work. action processes are important as the taskwork is being accomplished.
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