Research On Mechanism Of Knowledge Sharing Behavior Of Knowledge-based Enterprise Employees

In the era of knowledge economy, knowledge is a critical organizational resource that provides a sustainable competitive advantage in a competitive and dynamic context. Hence, many organizations have put significant resources into deploying Information&Communication Technology (I&CT) and constructing Knowledge Management System (KMS) in order to facilitate the knowledge collection, storage, distribution, integration and innovation. However, KMS tend to, thus far, fail at generating the outcomes putatively ascribed to KM, such as the creation and usage of high-quality knowledge and the improvements in organizational learning and innovation. One possible reason is that, the advanced I&CT is the necessary but insufficient condition for Knowledge Sharing (KS), i.e., the value of the technology is that it can expand the time and space of KS and increase the efficiency of KS, but the technology cannot improve the intention of the individual to share his own knowledge. Furthermore, considering the KS costs, risks and other factors, KS in organization is not spontaneous behavior. So KS dilemma has become the bottleneck problem to knowledge management. Therefore, it is an important issue to promote organization internal KS performance and translate employee’s knowledge into organization knowledge effectively. This dissertation exploits the mechanism of employee KS behavior based on theory analysis, empirical research and simulation experiment, the specific research contents are as follows:(1)Analysis framework of KS mechanism between employees. Firstly, from the three stages of knowledge contribution, knowledge transmission and knowledge absorption, the research explains the basic process of KS and its elements. Secondly, based on the perspective of knowledge transaction, this paper systematically analyses the benefits, costs and risks of KS. Thirdly, as KS behavior is individual complex social psychological process, the research analyses the influential factors and each one’s function of motivation and behavior of individual KS. Lastly, integrating KS the economic activity and social behavior of KS, an integrated analysis framework is established to exploit employees’KS behavior.(2) The game analysis of KS behavior between internal employees. Based on the specific case as well as related theory and empirical study results, a dynamic game theory model to analysis KS behavior is established. Using backward induction solution, the second player’s decisions in the game are categorized into four groups. Then, this study identifies key factors related to KS decision making and explores the impacts of two contingencies, nature of work and company size, on variables. By the use of Game Theory, the likely equilibrium path(s) taken by employees are presented. And based on the research results, KM suggestions are recommended to encourage KS.(3) An empirical study on influence mechanism of KS behavior. Considering one organization member’s KS behaviors as an individual’s social psychological process, the study puts forward an integrated analytical framework based on three relevant theories (Motivation Theory, Theory of Planned Behavior, Triandis model) and then deduces a conduction model of KS effect which demonstrates the causal chain:"socio-psychological motivators→attitudes→intentions→behaviors". In order to empirically validate the factors and relationships in the model, based on a questionnaire survey on the IT companies in Hefei Hi-tech Development Zone, an analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is conducted. These results demonstrate that the intrinsic motivations of members exert greater impacts on KS attitudes than do their extrinsic motivations. Within the KS attitudes, the factors which affect the intentions are personal attitudes, subject norms and perceived behavioral control (listed in decreasing order of each influence extent). In addition to KS intentions, facilitating conditions exert a positive effect on KS behavior. Moreover, the strengths of relationships between individual motivation factors and members’ attitudes toward KS differ from one organization to another, depending upon the scale of it.(4) Multi-Agent based organization members’ KS behavior study. Based on the complex adaptive system (CAS) theory and Multi-Agent theory, this investigation presents a Multi-agent based modeling approach to study related issues of KS in an organization. The study uses the RePast to simulate the KS process, and the following variables are considered:the characteristics of different types of knowledge, game strategy selection, individual capacity differences and incentive policies. The result of simulation shows that members will share their knowledge spontaneously if the payoff of KS is high enough. However, if agents were restrained from tit-for-tat strategy, most agents would not share their knowledge automatically in the population and the uncooperative strategy would dominate the other strategies. Considering the variations of individual capabilities, agents with relatively better capability can locally encourage their neighbors with worse capabilities to learn and adopt his strategy, and this is called the "local attraction effect".Considering the effects of incentive policy, the result indicates that the incentives have limited effects to encourage KS. Furthermore, a reward for each action is more effective than periodic fixed rewards in encouraging KS.(5) The suggestion to promote organization KS performance. In comprehensive consideration of the results of theoretical analysis, empirical research and simulation experiment, the suggestions to improve organizational KS performance are proposed from the aspects including the enhancement of intrinsic motivation, the organization supports to KS, as well as the organizational environment and the incentive and restraint mechanisms for KS.