The Identification and Prioritization of Motivational Factors Affecting Knowledge-sharing in an Industrial-Research Organization

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Malekashtar University of Technology

2 Azad University of Tehran

Abstract

In today's competitive environment, gaining competitive advantage is one of the most fundamental challenges for managers. Nowadays, "human resources" are among the most important resources for creating competitive advantages, and those employees viewed as sources of knowledge will gain more value in organization. The importance and value the knowledge workers receive in an organization lead to a strategy known as knowledge preservation. Researchers have found that what leads to the creation of competitive advantage is employees' knowledge and the process of sharing it. Managers try to promote knowledge-sharing, while employees tend to keep their knowledge secret. This paradox leads to different approaches taken by human resources and managers in hoarding or sharing knowledge. The solution proposed in this paper for aligning these two different approaches is using factors that cause human resources to share their knowledge with others voluntarily. In this study, motivations are introduced as factors that lead to human resources knowledge-sharing on a voluntary basis. After reviewing the literature and theories of motivation, and by using the questionnaire survey method, effective motivational factors in knowledge-sharing are identified in an industrial-research organization in Tehran, then ranked by Friedman method. The results show that in knowledge-sharing, intrinsic motivational factors have higher priorities than extrinsic ones. The results also demonstrate that "friendly and sincere relations" and "job promotion" are the most important intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors affecting knowledge-sharing.

Keywords

References

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Innovation Management Journal
Volume 1, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
March 2013
Pages 107-135

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 April 2013
  • Accept Date: 30 June 2013

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