Knowledge Sharing in Non-Knowledge Intensive Organizations: When Social Networks Do Not Matter?

44 Pages Posted: 31 May 2011

See all articles by Joey van der Capellen

Joey van der Capellen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

O. Koppius

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University; Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM)

Koen Dittrich

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Department of Technology and Operations Management

Date Written: May 13, 2011

Abstract

Considerable attention has been paid to the network determinants of knowledge sharing. However, most, if not all, of the studies investigating the determinants of knowledge sharing are either focused on knowledge-intensive organizations such as consultancy firms or R&D organizations, or knowledge workers in regular organizations, while lesser knowledge intensive organizations or non-knowledge workers are rarely explored. This is a gap in the literature on social networks and knowledge sharing. In this paper, the relations between network determinants and actor determinants of knowledge sharing are empirically tested by means of a network survey in a less knowledge intensive organization, specifically employees of a Dutch department store chain. The results show that individual-level variables such as departmental commitment and enjoyment in helping others are the major determinants of individuals’ knowledge sharing behavior, but none of the social network variables play a role. The results thus present an important boundary condition to social networks effects on knowledge sharing: social networks only seem to play a role in knowledge sharing for knowledge workers, not for blue-collar workers.

Keywords: knowledge sharing, social networks, non-knowledge intensive organizations

JEL Classification: C44, M31, M

Suggested Citation

van der Capellen, Joey and Koppius, Otto and Dittrich, Koen, Knowledge Sharing in Non-Knowledge Intensive Organizations: When Social Networks Do Not Matter? (May 13, 2011). ERIM Report Series Reference No. ERS-2011-013-LIS, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1855846

Joey Van der Capellen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Otto Koppius

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University ( email )

RSM Erasmus University
PO Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands
+31 10 408 2032 (Phone)
+31 10 408 9010 (Fax)

Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM)

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands

Koen Dittrich

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Department of Technology and Operations Management ( email )

RSM Erasmus University
PO Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands
+31 10 408 2597 (Phone)
+31 10 408 9014 (Fax)

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