THE EFFECT OF QUALITY DIMENSIONS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS ON KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND USER SATISFACTION

Abstract

As society enters the knowledge-based economy, effective knowledge management is essential for organizations to stay competitive. Sharing knowledge using efficient information systems can contribute to the growth and development of an organization. This study explores the effect of three quality dimensions of information systems:system quality, information quality and service quality delineated by DeLone and McLean (2003) on socialization and exchange subprocesses of knowledge sharing and user satisfaction. 300 Questionnaires were distributed among employees from different management levels in various financial institutions in Bangladesh, and 254 of them have been returned. The partial least squares (PLS) approach using Smart PLS has been used to test the measurement and the structural models. The results of this study indicate that not all the quality dimensions can significantly impact the socialization and exchange sub-processes of knowledge sharing. However, it does suggest that for an organization to have informed and knowledgeable employees, it must focus on quality dimensions that can eventually help improve user satisfaction. While system quality impacts both the socialization and exchange of knowledge significantly, service quality impacts only the exchange of knowledge significantly. This study also finds that the exchange of knowledge rather than the socialization of knowledge significantly affects user satisfaction. The findings of this research illustrate that for the banking industry in Bangladesh, quality dimensions (especially system quality and service quality) play an essential role in knowledge sharing among employees and thereby help improve employee satisfaction. This research contributes further to understanding knowledge sharing and its implementation in an organization.