Knowledge Sharing In Response To A Supportive Work Environment: Evidence From An Australian Engineering Firm

Employee willingness to share knowledge is vital for successful knowledge management. In this paper, we propose that employees are more likely to engage in knowledge sharing if they feel supported by their organization and co-workers. On the other hand, if employees feel that the organization has failed in its obligations (i.e., a violation of psychological contract), they will withhold knowledge. We test these ideas with empirical data from an Australian engineering firm. Knowledge sharing was measured by employee self-report and supervisor ratings. Our results show that perceived organizational support was related to knowledge sharing with the organization (e.g., codifying knowledge into databases) and perceived co-worker support was related to knowledge sharing with individuals at work (e.g., sharing personal expertise with a co-worker). Further, as predicted, psychological contract violation was negatively related to knowledge sharing. These findings have important implications for initiatives to enhance knowledge sharing, as managers need to adopt differing strategies to promote different types of knowledge sharing.