Workers’ perspective about organizational climate in knowledge management: Automotive assembly-line case

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relation between Organizational Climate and Knowledge Management in the shop floor. The study is conducted in an auto part plant inserted in a Truck Factory with 7 partners. 44 blue collar workers were interviewed. The results show a relationship between Organizational Climate and Knowledge Management in the automotive sector, evidenced by the significant correlations between the variables analyzed. The unemployment situation can negatively influence the climate of organizations. The positive social interaction can preserve knowledge sharing even when there are weaknesses in the organizational climate. Future research can compare the results of this study with another sample in the same environment in stable employment situation. Other research may replicate this study with a larger number of participants.