Examining Effects of Quality of Work Life on Forming Knowledge-Sharing Behaviors in a Communication Research Center in Iran
Subject Areas : Technology Management
Seyed Mahdi
Hoseini Sarkhosh
1
Peyman
Akhavan
2
Mohsen
Garmabdary
3
Keywords: Knowledge Sharing, Quality of Work Life, Theory of Planned Behavior, Research Center,
Abstract :
K nowledge sharing is a key ability to achieve sustainable competitive advantage in today’s turbulent environments. Effective knowledge sharing among employees may considerably influence organizational performance of organizations. Therefore, this study intends to examine impacts of quality of work life on forming knowledge-sharing behavior in a research center in Iran. This is a descriptive research and an applied research from objective perspective and a survey due to data gathering method. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze research hypotheses. A questionnaire was developed for measuring quality of work life, knowledge-sharing attitude, intention, and behavior based on prior research and distributed in target population. An analysis of 317 completed and valid questionnaires showed that quality of work life has a positive significant effect on knowledge-sharing attitude and behavior in studied organization. In addition, attitude toward knowledge sharing can enhance the tension toward knowledge sharing which in turn can improve real knowledge-sharing behaviors. Moreover, research findings indicated that among quality of work life dimensions, constitutionalism in work is the most influential factor of knowledge sharing. Finally, according to research findings, practical implications for managers and knowledge management practitioners as well as suggestions for future research to fill the research gap are proposed.
1- نادري، عزتاله و سيف نراقي، مريم. روشهاي تحقيق و چگونگي ارزشيابي آن در علوم انساني (با تأکيد بر علوم تربيتي)، تهران، نشر ارسباران، 1390.#
2- Mesmer-Magnus, J.R. and DeChurch, L.A., “Information sharing and team performance: A meta-analysis”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 94 No. (2), pp. 535-546, 2009.#
3- Tsai, M.T., Chen, K.S. and Chien, J.L., “The factors impact of knowledge sharing intentions: The theory of reasoned action perspective”, Quality & Quantity, Vol. 46 No. 5, pp. 1479-1491, 2012.#
4- Walter J., Lechner C. and Kellermanns F.W., “Knowledge transfer between and within alliance partners: Private versus collective benefits of social capital”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 60 No. 7, pp. 698–710, 2007.#
5- Amayah, A.T., “Determinants of knowledge sharing in a public sector organization”, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 454-471, 2013.#
6- Hansen, S. and Avital, M., “Share and share alike: the social and technological influences on knowledge sharing behavior”, Sprouts: Working Papers on Information Systems, Vol. 5 No. 13, pp. 5-13, 2005.#
7- Yeo, R. K. and Li, J., “In pursuit of learning: sensemaking the quality of work life”, European Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 136-160, 2013.#
8- Arif, S. and Ilyas, M., “Quality of work-life model for teachers of private universities in Pakistan”, Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 282-298, 2013.#
9- Alavi, M., Kayworth, T.R. and Leidner, D.E., “An empirical examination of the influence of organizational culture on knowledge management practices”, Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 191-224, 2006.#
10- Bock, G., Zmud, R.W., Kim, Y. and Lee, J., “Behavioral intention formation in knowledge sharing: examining the roles of extrinsic motivators, social-psychological forces, and organizational climate”, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 87-111, 2005.#
11- Chua, A.L. and Pan, S.L., “Knowledge transfer and organizational learning in IS offshore outsourcing”, Omega – International Journal of Management Science, Vol. 36 No. 9, pp. 267-81, 2008.#
12- Hendriks, P., “Why share knowledge? The influence of ICT on the motivation for knowledge sharing”, Knowledge and Process Management, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 91-100, 1999.#
13- Lin, H.F., “Knowledge sharing and firm innovation capability: An empirical study”, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 28 No. (3/4), pp. 315-332, 2007.#
14- Sylvio, C. and Chun, W.C., “The individual and social dynamics of knowledge sharing: an exploratory study”, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 66 No. 6, pp. 824-846, 2010.#
15- Ajzen, I., “The theory of planned behavior”, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Vol. 50 No. 2, pp. 179-211, 1991.#
16- Ajzen, I. and Fishbein, M., Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1980.#
17- Wu, Y. and Zhu, W., “An integrated theoretical model for determinants of knowledge sharing behaviours”, Kybernetes, Vol. 41 No. 10, pp. 1462-1482, 2012.#
18- Morin, E.M. and Morin, W., “Quality of work life and firm performance at Canada”, in Kashyap, V.R.P. and Mradula, E. (Eds), Quality of Work Life: Introduction and Perspective, ICFAI University Press, Andhra Pradesh, pp. 86-96, 2004.#
19- Kheradmand, E., Valilu, M.R. and Lotfi, A., “The relation between Quality of Work Life and Job Performance, Middle-East of Scientific Research, Vol 6 No. 4, pp. 317-323, 2010.#
20- Cascio, W.F., Managing Human Resources: Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits,Mc Graw-Hill, 2005.#
21- Pranee, C., “Quality of work life for sustainable development”, International Journal of Organizational Innovation, Vol. 2 No. 3, pp. 124-137, 2010.#
22- Walton, R.E., Criteria for Quality of Working Life, In L.E. Davis, A.B. Cherns and Associates (Eds.), The Quality of Working, New York: The Free Press, pp. 91-104, 1975.#
23- Daud, N., “Investigating the Relationship between Quality of Work Life and Organizational Commitment amongst Employees in Malaysian Firms”, International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 5 No. 10, pp. 75-82, 2010.#
24- Jeon, S., Kim, Y.G and Koh, J., “An integrative model for knowledge sharing in communities-of-practice”, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 251-269, 2011.#
25- Huang, Q., Davison, R.M. and Gu, J., “Impact of personal and cultural factors on knowledge sharing in China”, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 451-71, 2008.#
26- Nykodym, N., Longenecker, C. and Ruud, W., “Improving quality of work life with transactional analysis as an intervention change strategy”, Applied Psychology: An International Review, Vol. 40 No. 4, pp. 395-404, 2008.#
27- Arbabisarjou, A., Allameh S.M. and Farhang, A., “Relationship between Information & Communication Technology and Quality of Work-Life; A Study of Faculty Members of Zahedan University”, Life Science Journal, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 3322-3331, 2012.#
28- Akhavan, P., Rahimi, A, and Mehralian, G., “Developing a model for knowledge sharing in research centers”, Vine: The journal of information and knowledge management systems, Vol. 43 No. 3, pp. 357-393, 2013.#
29- Ajzen, I., “Nature and operation of attitudes”, Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 52, pp. 27-58, 2001.#
30- Zhang, P. and Ng, F.F., “Attitude toward knowledge sharing in construction teams”, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 112 No. 9, pp. 1326-1347, 2012.#
31- Schumacker, R.E., A Beginner’s Guide to Structural Equation Modeling, 3rd ed., Routledge, New York, NY, 2010.#
32- Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J. and Anderson, R.E., Multivariate Data Analysis, 7th ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2010.#
33- Hair, J.F., Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L. and Black, W.C., Multivariate Data Analysis, 5th ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1998.#
34- Farid, H., Izadi, Z., Ismail, I.A. and Alipour, F., Relationship between quality of work life and organizational commitment among lecturers in a Malaysian public research university, Social Science Journal, Vol. 52 No. 1, pp. 54-61, 2015.#
35- Singhapakdi, A., Lee, D.-J., Sirgy, M.J. and Senasu, K., The impact of incongruity between an organization's CSR orientation and its employees' CSR orientation on employees' quality of work life, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 68 No. 1, pp. 60-66, 2015.#
36- Akhavan, P., Hosseini, S.H., Abbasi, M. and Manteghi, M., Knowledge-sharing determinants, behaviors, and innovative work behaviors: An integrated theoretical view and empirical examination, Aslib Journal of Information Management, Vol. 65 No. 5, pp.562-591, 2015.#
37- Akhavan, P. and Hosseini, S.H., Social capital, knowledge sharing and innovation capability: An empirical study of R&D teams in Iran, Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 96-113, 2016.#