Contextual Factors and Knowledge Sharing Motivation: A Research Framework

Abstract

A high level of human resources motivation to share knowledge acquired during training programs or other training activities may be crucial for companies in achieving targets for customers and high organizational outcomes. The recent investigations of the roles of socio-technical, cultural and non-work factors and the technological development underlined the importance of the organizational context factors as outstanding drivers for employees motivation to share knowledge among their colleagues and to improve work performance. This article conducts a literature review and aims to identify the contextual factors determining employees motivation for exchanging knowledge at the workplace and, thus, improving the overall organizational performance. There will be also proposed the dimensions of motivation for knowledge sharing taking into account the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, based on the self-determination theory (SDT). Therefore, by analyzing the types of motivation according to self-determination theory, it is highlighted the importance of contextual factors in increasing knowledge sharing motivation in organizations. In this paper, we try to provide a framework to analyze the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in determining a high level of motivation to share knowledge, improving work performance and increasing organizational outcomes. Within this view, the research aims to provide an integrative research framework and to underline the tie between the most significant dimensions of organizational context influencing employees knowledge-sharing motivation in industrial firms. The new research framework resulted from identifying significant contextual factors which influence employees motivation to share knowledge will provide a new direction to improving work activities and to foster the performance level at the workplace. The selection of the relevant dimensions integrated into the research framework will be used for a further quantitative research applied to employees working in industrial firms from the North-East Region of Romania. The investigation proposed brings into light a useful approach for knowledge management, emphasizing the importance of establishing the most important organizational context factors which determine employees motivation to communicate knowledge among work colleagues, demonstrating also the contribution to improving job performance. The current framework can provide important insights for managers and academia in order to understand the importance of establishing a relationship between contextual factors influencing employees motivation to share knowledge and job performance.