The impact of factors on information sharing: An application of meta-analysis

Background: Information sharing plays a key role in supply chain performance. According to previous individual studies, technology, trust, commitment, and uncertainty are four potential factors affecting information sharing. However, most studies focus on testing a positive relationship between each factor and information sharing. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effect of each factor on information sharing. Objective: To determine the accurate effect of factors on sharing information and propose key factors to support decision-makers in improving their information sharing. Data: Correlation coefficients between factors are collected from 41 individual studies with a total of 8,983 samples on Google Scholar Methods: Using the rank correlation test and Egger’s regression test to test publication bias. The meta-analysis method is used to perform analysis models, including fixed-effect, random-effect, and Hunter and Schmidt methods Results: Commitment plays the most important role in information sharing when compared to technology, trust, and uncertainty. Commitment accounts for 19% in the Hunter and Schmidt method and 22% in both fixed-effect and random-effect models. In addition, the result indicates that there are around 50% of other factors that affect the efficiency of sharing information besides four factors in our studies. Conclusion: Technology, trust, and commitment significantly affect information sharing, of which the impact of commitment on information sharing is strongest and should be a priority in improving the effectiveness of information sharing. Our study contributes two findings to literature in the field of supply chain information sharing: 1) certain confirming the important role of commitment on sharing information, and 2) the necessity of considering other factors besides these four elements.