Creating Sustainable Organizations through Knowledge Sharing and Organizational Agility: Empirical Evidence from China

Abstract

This study explores the relationships among knowledge sharing, adaptability, and performance, and furthermore seeks to address a gap in the existing literature on how those relationships may vary between organizational sectors. Economic sustainability for firms of all sizes and sectors is likely to depend to a large extent on the creation of a sustainable organizational culture built on collaboration, innovation, and adaptability. The importance of knowledge management in developing sustainable and higher functioning organizations is well accepted in the literature. Likewise, the ability of organizations to realize competitive advantage by adapting and responding in a timely manner to changes in the landscape is well supported. Building on previous research, this study further examines how organizations in different sectors may experience that interaction differently. Based on data gathered through 720 online surveys and subjected to empirical analysis, the findings suggest that work groups that are more agile can more readily realize the benefits of a knowledge sharing organization culture. Further, in contrast to the main body of existing literature, the findings indicate that there is little difference in these benefits among organizations operating in different sectors, notably, within the context of mainland China. These findings may be of interest to those with an interest in knowledge sharing, organizational agility, organizational behavior, sustainable organizations, collectivistic cultures, to practitioners with an interest in developing higher functioning organizations, and to social scientists in related research areas such as cultural studies and psychology.