Willingness to share or not to share? Understanding the motivation mechanism of knowledge sharing for hospitality workforce

ABSTRACT

Employees’ willingness to share their knowledge is essential for achieving work goals and can also affect the long-term performance and effectiveness of organizations. This study examines the circumstances in which an employee with a more proactive personality is willing to share knowledge with others. It also investigates two important mechanisms – autonomous and controlled motivation – on the relationship between having a proactive personality and knowledge sharing intention. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) indicate that having a proactive personality fosters knowledge sharing driven by autonomous motivation. Conversely, controlled motivation restrains such knowledge sharing intention. Furthermore, our multi-method techniques also illustrate that autonomous motivation mediates the positive relationship between having a proactive personality and knowledge sharing, whereas controlled motivation negatively mediates it. This study contributes to the hospitality literature by investigating the mechanism underpinning the link between having a proactive personality and knowledge sharing intention, and the mediating role of autonomous and controlled motivation.

员工分享知识的意愿对实现工作目标至关重要，也会影响组织的长期绩效和有效性. 这项研究考察了具有更积极主动个性的员工愿意与他人分享知识的情况. 本研究还探讨了自主性动机和控制性动机两种重要的机制对主动性人格与知识共享意向之间关系的影响. 结构方程模型（SEM）的结果表明，具有主动性人格有助于在自主动机的驱动下促进知识共享. 相反，控制性动机抑制了这种知识共享意向. 此外，我们的多方法研究也表明，自主性动机在主动性人格与知识共享之间起正向中介作用，而控制性动机在主动性人格与知识共享之间起负向中介作用. 本研究透过探讨主动型人格与知识分享意愿之间的联系机制，以及自主与控制型动机的中介作用，为酒店业文献提供参考.

KEYWORDS:

• Knowledge sharing intention
• proactive personality
• motivation
• self-determination theory
• hospitality workforce

Additional information

Funding

The work described in this paper was fully supported by a grant from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Project No. G-UA9V).