Organizational culture as support for knowledge sharing in polish companies focused on managing employees from different generations

Abstract

The research problem considered in the article is an examination of the relationship between various methods of promoting knowledge sharing in an organization and the size of the company as well as the generation to which the respondent belongs. The objectives were to (1) identify the generations that are most willing to share knowledge and use the tools available in the organization for this purpose and (2) see whether the process of knowledge sharing is found to be more or less accessible depending on the size of the surveyed company. Achieving the aforementioned objectives enabled a determination which elements of the organizational culture support the process of knowledge sharing in Polish organizations participating in the study. The analysis of data also allowed for an attempt to emphasize those factors of organizational culture that are hardly applicable in the practice of sharing knowledge and contributed to highlighting the imperfections of this process. In order to answer the research problem, a study was carried out among employees belonging to various generations from across Poland from September 2018 to March 2019. For study purposes, an on-line survey form (CAWI) accessed via a web browser and completed independently by study participants, was used. Each participant received an e-mail invitation with a link to the survey and individual one-time access. A questionnaire containing closed-ended or semi-open ended questions (multiple-choice answers) and socio-demographic information was used. 1020 invitations were sent to survey participants and 552 correctly completed surveys were sent back; the survey was anonymous and voluntary. χ2 independence tests were performed for the study sample to determine whether: 1. there is a statistically significant correlation between individual responses and the age group of the respondent. 2. there is a statistically significant relationship between individual responses and the size of the company engaged in promoting knowledge sharing. In both cases, the null hypothesis (H0) assumes that there is no statistically significant relationship, whereas the alternative hypothesis (H1) indicates that such a relationship exists. The tests were carried out with a significance level of α=0.05. Their results are presented in the tables. For the purposes of the study, two research hypotheses were put forward and verified: Hypothesis 1-it is possible to indicate which generation is most willing to share knowledge and use the tools intended for this purpose. Hypothesis 2-the size of the enterprise affects how easy the process of sharing knowledge is. The theoretical verification of the research hypothesis was carried out using the method of scientific cognition on the basis of Polish and foreign literature as well as articles published in scientific journals. The empirical part was based on primary materials in the form of surveys conducted among Polish employees of all generations. The results indicate which methods of supporting knowledge sharing are the most effective for employees of given ages. The results also showed what methods are used by enterprises without regard to their ineffectiveness from the point of view of employees. Therefore, the recommendations are as follows: • create and use a knowledge-oriented organizational culture • build a culture based on mutual trust, cooperation, open communication, and continuous learning, provided that employees are willing to engage in such activities. • show the employees the real benefits of engaging in gaining experience and developing skills and competences, as leading to obtaining or maintaining a competitive advantage.,,,.