Title: Paved with good intentions: discrepancies in knowledge sharing among high-tech workers

Authors: Iris Reychav, Jacob Weisberg

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ariel University Center, P.O. Box 40700, Ariel, Israel. ' Graduate School of Business Administration, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel

Abstract: Academics and practitioners alike have stressed the significance of managing knowledge in today|s competitive environment. Numerous efforts have been made to foster attitudes towards knowledge sharing given the gap between individuals| intentions and actual sharing. This study examines the discrepancy between intention and behaviour to donate and collect explicit and tacit knowledge. The data were collected from 278 Hi-Tech workers in two telecommunications companies. The findings reveal a significant gap in the knowledge-sharing process between intention and behaviour to give and receive both explicit and tacit knowledge. This study suggests a more delicate look from the theoretical perspective into the discretion between an intention to share knowledge and the actual behaviour of doing so, and it contributes to management practice by exploring the issues involved in turning intention to share knowledge into actual behaviour.

Keywords: intention; behaviour; knowledge sharing; explicit knowledge; tacit knowledge; knowledge donation; knowledge collection; high technology; high-tech workers; knowledge management; telecommunications industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKMS.2010.038167

International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 2010 Vol.4 No.3, pp.233 - 247

Received: 20 Oct 2008
Accepted: 28 Aug 2009
Published online: 19 Jan 2011 *

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