Title: Give or keep? A transactive memory approach to understanding knowledge hoarding on the organisational digital knowledge repository

Authors: Chunke Su

Addresses: Department of Communication, The University of Texas at Arlington, P.O. Box 19107, Fine Arts 118, 700 W. Greek Row Drive, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA

Abstract: The goal of this research is to apply and extend transactive memory systems (TMS) theory to investigate the individual and social network factors that influence organisational members' knowledge hoarding on the digital knowledge repository. Specifically, this study examines how key mechanisms in the organisational TMS development, including personal expertise, accuracy in expertise recognition, social network centralities and individual perceptions of other members' knowledge hoarding behaviours, could promote or demote knowledge hoarding on the digital knowledge repository. Survey data were collected from 110 employees working in nine consulting teams. Results showed that team members' knowledge hoarding on the digital knowledge repository was negatively influenced by one's expertise level, but positively influenced by one's betweenness centrality in the social network and one's perception of other team members' knowledge hoarding on the digital knowledge repository. This research offers theoretical and pragmatic implications for effective utilisation of digital knowledge repositories in organisational settings.

Keywords: knowledge hoarding; knowledge sharing; transactive memory; social networks; knowledge management; groups; teams; digital knowledge repository.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKMS.2020.105072

International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 2020 Vol.11 No.1, pp.41 - 58

Received: 16 Jan 2018
Accepted: 15 Aug 2018

Published online: 12 Feb 2020 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article