A Conceptual Model for Knowledge Sharing as Dependent on Cultural Factors

Abstract

Often, organisational members are separated not only geographically but also culturally. Information technology has inevitably become a facilitator of knowledge sharing. However, earlier studies have posited that culture can significantly facilitate or hinder knowledge sharing in culturally diverse teams. Greater enlightenment on the cultural effect is a useful contribution to understanding the most effective way of managing knowledge sharing in organisations. However, little effort have been put into dimensioning culture in such a way as to enable comparative and large scale study. This investigation tries to fill this gap by bringing together and examining the few attempts at dimensioning this concept. This review results in the proposing of cultural dimensions which are grouped into organisational and societal classes. The review also results in a proposal of a conceptual model that expresses knowledge sharing to be a function of organizational and societal cultural factors. We formulated two major hypotheses: H1 - There is a high positive relationship between organisational culture and knowledge sharing, and H2 - There is a high positive relationship between societal culture and knowledge sharing. The model requires further investigation as explained in the paper.