Influence of Organisational Culture on Knowledge Sharing Behaviour - Essay Example

?Influence of Organisational Culture on Knowledge Sharing Behaviour Introduction Knowledge is the “combination of experience, values, contextual information and expert insight” (Al-Alawi et al, 2007, p.22) that help to assess and utilize new experience and information. Knowledge exists not only in documents but gets rooted in people’s minds over a duration of time, and is revealed through their actions and behaviours. According to Aranda and Fernandez (2002), the theory of knowledge management emerged as a result of the increasing use of knowledge in businesses, and has developed into one of the most important topics in management and information technology literature. Of the numerous activities constituting the knowledge management process, the most commonly discussed is knowledge transfer or knowledge sharing (Al-Alawi et al, 2007). Hislop (2009) observes that in the first generation of knowledge management literature, organisational socio-cultural factors were marginalised, and were not taken into consideration. However, the significance of organisational culture in knowledge sharing behaviour has now been established. Employees’ motivation and willingness to share knowledge emerges from the organisational culture, which is defined as the shared, basic assumptions that an organisation learnt while coping with the environment and solving problems of external adaptation and internal integration, taught to new members as the right way to solve those problems (Park et al, 2004). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how organisational culture can influence knowledge sharing behaviour in the workplace. Organisational Culture Influences Knowledge Sharing Behaviour While the strategies and the technologies for knowledge management enable the proper channelisation and dissemination of knowledge, the culture of the organisation directly influences knowledge sharing among employees. Knowledge sharing is also related to the importance given to intellectual capital in an organisational culture. In a rapidly developing economy such as India there is considerable emphasis on intellectual capital in various spheres including organisational knowledge management. Cheema (2010) asserts that education in knowledge management is critical for organisational managers and human resource personnel, and their leading with knowledge helps the organisation to achieve sustained competitive advantage in the growing global market of today. The key debates and the various perspectives in organisational knowledge management begin with the origins of the study of knowledge, or its epistemology, argues Hislop (2009). The processing of knowledge within the organisation, and its connection to human motivation are also essential factors. Social and cultural issues particularly those pertaining to the workplace, play vital roles in knowledge management and in the sharing of knowledge. Organisational knowledge is of a collective and shared nature, and its different dimensions are reflected in the dynamics of knowledge production and dissemination. Further, knowledge processes pertain to conflicts and politics at the workplace , which are inherent parts of organisational culture. They reveal the ways in which knowledge and power are mutually related, states Hislop (2009). Each organisation has a distinctive culture which reflects the organisation’s identity both in the visible and in the invisible dimensions. The visible aspect of culture is found in the values, philosophies and mission of the company, while the invisible dimension is formed by the unspoken set of values directing employees’ actions and approaches in the organisation, state McDermott and O’Dell (2001). The critical success factors in organisational culture that influence knowledge sharing included mutual trust between employees, with a high expectancy of reliability of the promise or actions of other individuals or groups. Only when there is trust do team members respond openly and share their knowledge (Politis, 2003). Further, top management’s trust in their employees increases the employees’ personal responsibility to carry out their work effectively, including sharing of knowledge between project teams (Mueller 2012). This not only results in customer satisfaction through improved quality of products, but also increased employee satisfaction due to decreased individual workload. The company thus develops a corporate culture incorporating learning, output enhancement and employee orientation. Moreover, communication through interactions and conversations between staff is important. The existence of social networking in the workplace promotes interactions among employees, and supports knowledge transfer. Towards further knowledge sharing, a key element of organisational culture is the use of information systems (Smith and Rupp, 2002). Whitten et al (2001) emphasize the importance of information systems, which are “arrangements of people, data and processes that interact to support daily operations, problem solving and decision making in organizations” (Al-Alawi et al, 2007, p.25). Different information systems are used by organisations, to enable knowledge sharing through the creation or acquisition of knowledge repositories. This facilitates the electronic sharing of expertise and provides access to shared experience among staff, state Connelly and Kelloway (2003). Another critical success factor in organisational culture promoting knowledge sharing among employees, is the reward system. Syed-Ikhsan and Rowland (2004) assert that employees require a strong motivator for the purpose of sharing knowledge. Al-Alawi et al (2007, p.25) states that “it is unrealistic to assume that all employees are willing to easily offer knowledge” without taking the losses and gains of such action into consideration. When designing reward systems, the management should emphasize the importance of collaboration and sharing best practices. Thus, processes should be introduced that promote and reward the sharing of information and horizontal communication; and group performance rather than individual performance should be rewarded, states Goh (2002). Hislop (2009) supports this view, and asserts that employee motivation is key to ensuring their willingness to share knowledge. Additionally, organisation structure also plays a significant role in characterising the organisational culture (Syed-Ikhsan and Rowland, 2004). Conventional organisational structures are distinguished by complicated layers and lines of responsibility with specific information reporting procedures. In contemporary organisations, the earlier bureaucratic structures are believed to slow processes and limit the flow of information. Moreover, such procedures frequently use a great deal of time for the filtering of knowledge through several levels. Thus, Syed-Ikhsan and Rowland (2004) argue that knowledge sharing is optimal with structures that support ease of information flow with fewer boundaries between divisions. The findings from Mueller’s (2012) case study indicate that knowledge sharing between project teams takes place even when the organisational work processes do not facilitate the flow of knowledge. The leaders and members of project teams were found to share knowledge with other project teams by “transferring boundary objects, interchanging team members and directly interacting” (Mueller, 2012, p.435). Thus, the teams created elements of a knowledge culture. Further, the study highlighted new organisational cultural elements promoting knowledge sharing between teams, including top-management’s trust in employees, and output orientation (Mueller, 2012). A contrasting issue is that of employees keeping their knowledge to themselves. “Despite managers’ best efforts, many employees tend to hoard or hide knowledge, or are reluctant to share their expertise with coworkers or managers”, state Webster et al (2008, p.1). Organisational initiatives promoting knowledge sharing among members often fail to be effective. Multiple reasons include social exchange, norms of secrecy, and territorial behaviours, which are related to the organisation’s culture and environment. In environments intolerant of active hoarders, they would be singled out and would have to struggle to survive at the workplace. “Organisational culture and social norms will affect what employees consider to be acceptable conduct towards fellow organisational members” (Webster et al, 2008, p.13). Norms give rise to a shared understanding of what is expected of oneself and of others, and by providing a non-personal and systemic explanation, for the resulting organisational behaviour. Research conducted by Connelly and Kelloway (2003), as well as that of Jarvenpaa and Staples (2001) reinforce the views that organisational culture and social norms are critical for predicting knowledge sharing behaviours in organisations. For example, non-hierarchical organisational structures promoting socialisation and frequent interaction among members, without taking organisational status into account, result in social interactions that determine how employees’ knowledge is used and shared. Employees presented with greater opportunities to interact socially with coworkers “will have a better understanding of their colleagues’ abilities and knowledge, will trust their colleagues more, and will have more opportunities to share their knowledge with coworkers in the future” (Connelly & Kelloway, 2003). On the other hand, a sharing environment and organisational culture may not change the approach of employees who hide knowledge. Formal and informal rules about secrecy play an important part. For example, Hannah’s (2005) study revealed that formal rules caused employees’ feeling of obligation to protect trade secrets. Further, Brodt and Sitkin (2006) carried out interviews with employees in three semiconductor companies, and identified various secrecy norms such as avoiding conflicts, and disruptions, which employees had learned quickly from the actions of their coworkers. Conclusion This paper has highlighted the impact of organisational culture on knowledge sharing by employees. The evidence indicates that there are several critical success factors related to organisational culture which promote knowledge sharing, including mutual trust among members which leads to beneficial outcomes such as increased learning, and orientation towards product enhancement and employee well being. Similarly, mutual networking, communications and interaction, as well as information systems promote a culture of sharing. Reward systems and motivators are essential for acknowledging collaboration and sharing of best practices, while overcoming the inner drive to hide or hoard information by employees. Moreover, organisational structures which help to share knowledge, facilitate information flow, and do not divide the organisation by means of boundaries into segregated groups of members. . Organisational norms forming a part of organisational culture, play an important part in creating a sense of social comfort when employees are faced with difficult or indistinct tasks such as decisions related to knowledge transfer. Organisational norms function as sources of guidance for individuals facing complex or potentially controversial choices, in the domain of knowledge sharing. This is reiterated by Brodt and Sitkin (2006) who add that in the domain of organisational knowledge transfer, the culture and norms of the workplace assist in deciding whether to share or withhold knowledge. From the research evidence and discussion, it is concluded that organisational culture as well as workplace norms influence knowledge sharing among members and teams. 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