Moral Norm and the Two-Component Theory of Planned Behavior Model in Predicting Knowledge Sharing Intention: A Role of Mediator Desire

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is becoming an increasingly popular area and has been extensively discussed in knowledge management literature. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is a leading theoreti-cal model of cognitive determinants of behavior that has been shown to predict knowledge shar-ing. Although the TPB has been used in predicting knowledge sharing, integrating additional va-riables or theories may heighten the predictive ability of the TPB. This study proposes an inte-grated model that considers desire and moral norm in a two-component TPB model for predicting knowledge sharing intention. Our models are assessed by using data from a sample of 220 partic-ipants in one of the largest credit cooperatives in Taiwan and analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) method. The results of this study indicate that 1) moral norm is an important varia-ble in predicting desire toward knowledge sharing; 2) desire fully mediates the relationship be-tween cognitive attitude and intention; and 3) desire partially mediates the relationships between affective attitude, self-efficacy, moral norm and intention. This study also discusses the implica-tions of knowledge sharing intention.