Exploring the role of task-related trust in intra-organisational knowledge sharing

Abstract

In the global knowledge economy, knowledge is the key resource for society, the economy, and also for organisations. Consequently, organisations are prepared to invest a lot of money into the management of knowledge. However, knowledge management activities often fail in practice. The present paper focuses on exploring how knowledge is actually shared. The main objective of this research is to enhance understanding of how trust impacts upon knowledge sharing performance within organisations. The structural contingency theory, which sees organisations as adapting to their changing environments, acts as the methodological framework for this research. Firstly, we refer to the concepts of knowledge and intra-organisational knowledge sharing as the broad theoretical framework for this study. Secondly, the concept of trust embedded in social interaction is explored, with respect to work tasks, and interlinked with knowledge sharing within organisations. Then, the misfit–fit relationship between desired task-related trust and actual task-related trust behaviour among employees is analysed and superimposed onto knowledge sharing performance. The tentative approach of this research for the further development of applying the contingency theory, in terms of polynomial regression equation and response surface methodology, to knowledge sharing and for practice in leadership to support knowledge sharing is underpinned by an empirical study of an in-house centre for financial expertise within a global knowledge-intensive firm.

Keywords:

• Knowledge sharing
• knowledge-intensive firms
• contingency theory
• response surface methodology
• trust
• leadership

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the constructive comments and encouragement of Professor Carla Millar, the Editor of the Special Issue of IJHRM and anonymous reviewers.