Demographic, Individual, Job Diversities and Knowledge Sharing: A Study of Enterprising Family Businesses

Abstract

Employees' knowledge sharing intention in a firm is recognized as a key positive factor of business sustainability and longevity. Yet, the diverse nature of firms has made a difficulty to make general conclusions about employees' knowledge sharing intentions, which is dependent on individual characteristics. Therefore, focusing on family businesses in Sri Lanka, this study investigates the influ-ence of employees' demographics, individuality and job diversity on knowledge sharing intentions. 132 employees who serve in enterprising family businesses in Sri Lanka were randomly selected for the survey and each was given a questionnaire. The influence of employee demographics, individuality and job diversity regarding knowledge sharing was then analyzed using a multiple regression model. Out of eight factors, only employee's age, level of education and job orientation have significantly in-fluenced the knowledge sharing intentions of employees in family businesses. These findings highlight the importance of the level of employee's age, education and job orientation on individual knowledge sharing behavior in family businesses.