Knowledge Nurturing Reflexivity in the Lens of the Internal Conversation

Abstract

Leveraging intellectual capital has become imperative to facilitate individuals’ innovativeness. However, little is known about the process of knowledge nurturing reflexivity where newborn ideas and newfound knowledge, which may be incomplete or ineffective in their infancy, are further developed instead of being criticised or discarded. Without proper nurturing, they may be abandoned prematurely and never be transformed into innovativeness. To fill the research gap, this study explores knowledge nurturing reflexivity drawn upon the theory of the internal conversation. Data collected from 368 knowledge workers were used to test the research framework. Empirical results show that sociability and solidarity are conducive to absorptive capacity that in turn influences knowledge nurture. In addition, innovativeness is significantly affected by knowledge nurture. This study contributes to overcoming the weakness of reflexivity modelling in the knowledge management (KM) literature. This study also provides important insights about the essential role of the internal conversation in building knowledge nurturing reflexivity.