Knowledge Sharing, Firm Innovation Capability, Competitive Advantage and Financial Performance PDF Download

Author: Al Shaima Taleb Hussein
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
In today's knowledge-intensive society, organizations need to be able to effectively manage the increasingly important production factor "knowledge' in order to thrive. Previous studies have emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing, especially its influence on organizational innovation capability, competitive advantage and financial performance. This study aims to develop a knowledge sharing framework across three dimensions: enablers, processes and outcomes in law enforcement in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It examines the effect of six enablers (enjoyment in helping others, knowledge self-efficacy, top management support, organizational rewards, information and communication technology use, end-user focus) on knowledge donating and collecting, which together make up the bidirectional perspective of knowledge sharing. It also examines the impact of knowledge donating and collecting on organizational innovation capability, organizational competitive advantage and organizational financial performance. The model assesses additional relationships, such as the impact of organizational innovation capability on organizational competitive advantage, and the impact of organizational competitive advantage on organizational performance. In this quantitative study, data is collected from a law enforcement agency using structured questionnaires. The sample size of this study is 605 middle managers. Several statistical tools are used to achieve study objectives, including descriptive analysis, one-way ANOVA, confirmatory factor analysis and structured equation modeling to test the 11 hypotheses provided by the structural model. This study found that knowledge self-efficacy impacts knowledge donating behavior, top management support impacts knowledge collecting behavior, while information and communication technology use and end-user focus affect both knowledge donating and collecting. It also shows that knowledge collecting behavior of the employees impacts trhe agency's innovation capability, competitive advantage, and financial performance. Additionally, innovation capability affects competitive advantage, and competitive advantage affects financial performance in the law enforcement agency under study. The findings also show that there are significant differences between the different general directorates in the law enforcement agency under study. By examining four of them, it is found that they share similar knowledge sharing behaviors, and have differences on others based on the units' objectives, cultures and functions. The present study highlights many limitations and opportunities for future research. For instance, more enablers and ourtcomes of knowledge sharing can be examined in the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The barriers of knowledge sharing can also be addressed in future studies. Another alternative to studying knowledge behavior is studying knowledge sharing intention. It might be beneficial to repeat this study in UAE sectors other than law enforcement to generalize the result in the UAE. The study has significant theoretical and managerial contributions. It proposes a research model for empirical studies that links a three-dimensional framework, namely enablers, processes and outcomes. It has enormous opportunities for enhancements and adding more enablers and outcomes variables, which opens the door for scholars to improve and develop more frameworks that follow the same structure. The research model may also provide a clue regarding how knowledge -intensive organizations can promote knowledge sharing culture and create a successful knowledge sharing strategy, particulary in law enforcement agencies in the UAE. The research model is novel and likely to be particularly valuable, especially in knowledge-intensive organizations such as the law enforcement sector. Knowledge sharing has often been neglected by organizations in the UAE, because of the lack of knowledge sharing culture and trust among and across organizations in the country, as well as the scarcity of relevant research in the area.