A Review of Individual Level Knowledge Sharing in the Workplace

Abstract

This paper explores individual-level knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing is a key organizational citizenship behaviour that contributes to an organization’s innovation and competitiveness and as such has received much attention from the research community. However, most of the studies which reviewed the area of knowledge sharing did so by combining organizational, team and individual level factors. As knowledge sharing is conducive to building collective intelligence and improving work performance the way it is approached should be more refined. The study explores the individual-level knowledge sharing focusing only on individual characteristics. Factors such interpersonal trust and justice, individual attitudes towards knowledge sharing, personality traits, cultural aspects, motivational factors, beliefs about knowledge ownership and perceived benefits and costs, are examined to understand their relationship with knowledge-sharing behaviour. Based on the detailed review future research directions are proposed. Deeper investigation is warranted on the personality traits, motivational theories, emotional intelligence, learning styles, mental well-being, cultural nuances, and neuroscientific perspectives in knowledge sharing.