Document Type : Articles

Authors

Abstract

Knowledge sharing appears to be vital in organizations where interpersonal trust and trust in management is an important issue. Since the relationship between interpersonal trust and knowledge sharing is not obvious, this study analyzes the relationship between trust in management and knowledge sharing through "fear of losing one’s personal value" and "knowledge documentation" as intermediate variables. The research methodology is descriptive- correlation and because of limited number of research population (9 employees of Mashhad municipality), data was collected from the whole population. Lisrel Software was used for data analysis. The results of this research contribute to both managerial and theoretical levels. For managerial level, it emphasizes on individual’s main role in the knowledge sharing process into knowledge documentation and fear of losing one’s personal value. In theoretical level, our research provides empirical evidence for two mechanisms that help to explain the impact of trust in management on knowledge sharing.

Keywords

- Abrams, LC.; Cross, R.; Lesser, E., & Levin, DZ. (2003). Nurturing interpersonal trust in knowledge-sharing networks. Academy of Management Executive; 17(4), 64–77.
- Argote, L.; Ingram, P.; Levine, JM., & Moreland, RL. (2000). Knowledge transfer in organizations. Organisational Behavior and Human Decision Processes; 82(1), 1–8.
- Argyris, C. (1964). Integrating the individual and the organization. New York: Wiley.
- Bargrun, B. (2007). Principles of knowledge management. translate by Ansari, M. Meraban book institution; 1.
- Blackler, F. (1995). Knowledge, knowledge work and organizations-an overview and interpretation. organization studies; 16(6),1021–46.
- Cabrera, EF. (2002). Knowledge-sharing dilemmas. organization studies; 23(5),687–710.
- Chowdhury, S. (2005). The role of affect- and cognitions-based trust in complex knowledge sharing. Journal of Managerial Issues; 17(3),310–26.
- Connelly, C., & E. Kevin Kelloway, (2003). Predictors of employees’ perceptions of knowledge sharing cultures. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 294 –301.
- Connelly, C., & Kelloway, K. (2001). Predictors of employees perceptions of knowledge sharing concepts. Retrieved April 20, 2006.
- Cook, J., & Wall, T. (1980). New work attitude measures of trust, organizational commitment and personal need non-fulfilment. Journal of Occupational Psychology; 53,39–52.
- Cummings, JN. (2004). Work groups, structural diversity, and knowledge sharing in a global organization. Management Science; 50(3),352–64.
- Davenport, TH., & Prusak, L. (1998). Working knowledge-how organizations manage what they know. Boston: Harvard business school press.
- Empson, L. (2001). Fear of exploitation and fear of contamination: impediments to knowledge sharing in mergers between professional service firms. Journal of Human Relations; 54(7), 839–62.
- Golembiewski, RT., & McConkie, M. (1975). The centrality of interpersonal trust in group processes. in: cooper CL, editor. Theories of group processes. New York: Wiley, 131–85.
- Grant, RM. (1996). Toward a knowledge-based theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal; 17(Winter Special Issue),109–22.
- Hansen, MT. (2002). Knowledge networks-explaining effective knowledge sharing in multiunit companies. Organization Science; 13(3), 232–48.
- Hwang, P., & Burgers, WP. (1997). Properties of trust: an analytical view. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes; 69(1), 67–73.
- Khatamianfar, P. (2009). An investigation effect factors on knowledge sharing in organization. Journal of Ketabdari and Ettlaresani; 1:223–246.
- Kim, WC., & Mauborgne, RA. (1997). Procedural justice, attitudes, and subsidiary top management compliance with multinationals’ corporate strategic decisions. Academy of Management Journal; 36(3), 502–26.
- King, Marie Jennifer (2001). Employee participation in organizationally- maintained knowledge sharing activities. master’s thesis. university of Toronto. retrieved September 03, 2006.
- Levin, DZ., & Cross, R. (2004). The strength of weak ties you can trust: the mediating role of trust in effective knowledge transfer. Management Science; 50, 1477–90.
- Lewis, DJ., & Weigert, A. (1985). Trust as a social reality. social forces; 63(4), 967–85.
- Luhmann, N. (1979). Trust and power. chichester UK: wiley.
- Matzler, K.; Rier, M.; Hinterhuber, HH.; Renzl, B., & Stadler, C. (2005). Methods and concepts in management: significance, satisfaction and suggestions for further research: perspectives from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Strategic Change; 14(1), 1–13.
- Mayer, RC.; Davis, JH., & Schoormann FD. (1995). An integrative model of organisational trust. Academy of Management Review; 20, 709–34.
- Mayer, RC., & Gavin, MB. (2005). Trust in management and performance: who minds the shop while the employees watch the boss? Academy of Management Journal; 48(5), 874–88.
- McAllister, DJ. (1995). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations. Academy of Management Journal; 38(1), 24–59.
- Nelson, RR., & Winter, SG. (1982). An evolutionary theory of economic change. Cambridge, MA: belknap press of harvard university press.
- Neo, J. (2002). Cultural factors affecting knowledge sharing behavior. master’s thesis. nanyang technological university. Singapore.
- Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company-how Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. New York/Oxford: Oxford university press.
- Polanyi, M. (1983). The tacit dimension. (reprinted edition), gloucester, MA: peter smith.
- Rading, A. (2001). Knowledge management. translate by Latifi, M. Samt publication; 1.
- Rahnavard, F., & Sadr, F. (2009). Relationship between perception knowledge sharing culture and organizational factors. Beyond of Management Journal; 8,51-74.
- Renzl, B. (2006). Trust in management and knowledge sharing: the mediating effects of fear and knowledge documentation. Omega; 36, 206 – 220.
- Riege, A. (2005). Three-dozen knowledge sharing barriers managers must consider. Journal of Knowledge Management; 9(3), 18-35.
- Smith, KG.; Collins, CJ., & Clark, KD. (2005). Existing knowledge, knowledge creation capability, and the rate of new product introduction in high-technology firms. Academy of Management Journal; 48(2), 346–57.
- Velez, L.; Sanchez, M., & Dardet, A. (2008). Management control systems as inter-organizational trust builders in evolving relationships: evidence from a longitudinal case study, accounting, Organizations & Society, 33, 968–994
- Whitener, EM. (2001). Do “high commitment” human resource practices affect employee commitment? a cross-level analysis using hierarchical linear modeling. Journal of Management; 27(5):515–35.
- Yilmaz K. (2008). The relationship between organizational trust and organizational commitment in turkish primary schools. Journal of Applied Sciences; 8(12).
- Yousefi, S.; Moradi, M., & Tishevarz, M. (2010). Role of organizational commitment in knowledge sharing. Human development; 30, 23–36.
- Yu, Yecheng,; Wilkins, C., & Ma, W. (2004). Developing an instrument for measuring knowledge sharing attitudes. retrieved september 10, 2006.
- Yun, S., & Allyn, Mark R. (2005). Causes of knowledge sharing behaviors: motivational/functional approach. retrieved september 05, 2006
- Zander, U., & Kogut, B. (1995). Knowledge and the speed of the transfer and imitation of organizational capabilities: an empirical test. Organization Science; 6(1), 76–92.
- Zhang, J., & Faerman, Sue R. (2004). The nature of knowledge and its influence on knowledge sharing practice: experiences from building the MACROS system in: proceedings of the 38th annual hawaii international conference on system sciences.
CAPTCHA Image