Trust And Knowledge Sharing--The Mediating Role Of Affective Commitment

Numerous studies show that the relationship of trust has an impact on knowledge sharing has developed maturely, but there are still many antecedent variables influencing knowledge sharing, such as affective commitment of employee having an impact on knowledge sharing. At the same time, employee's trust has an impact on their affective commitment.Then what's the relationship between employee's trust, affective commitment and knowledge sharing? This study attempts to fill the gaps. In particular, the author analyzes the affecting factors of knowledge sharing ,and put employee's affective commitment to the theory framework of trust affecting the knowledge sharing.This study proposed that employee trust in peers, superiors and the organization through the affective commitment to impact on knowledge sharing. Meanwhile, the author will answer the following questions: whether or not trust affects knowledge sharing and how? Whether or not affective commitment influence knowledge sharing and how? Whether trust can affect knowledge sharing through the affective commitment and how? The problem is not just an academic issue, but also an enterprise's practice problems should be solved urgently.The innovation of this study is considering the relationship among trust, affective commitment and knowledge sharing, and establishing the models of the three variables, which provide a new path for trust impacting on knowledge sharing's empirical research.The results showed that employees trust in peers not only a significant direct impact, but also has an indirect effect on knowledge sharing. The employees trust in their supervisors and organization affect knowledge sharing indirectly. Affective commitment played a full mediating role between trust in supervisor and knowledge sharing; Affective commitment played a full mediating role between trust in organization and knowledge sharing.Seeing from the above conclusions, employee trusts in peers means that they would like to reduce their own advantages, this kind of psychology state is based on believing the return envetually.Employee believes the more exchanging, the more receiving, which make knowledge-sharing can be carried out. Meanwhile, if employee trusts in peers, he will treat other people as "insiders" and would like to sacrifice, not care about obtaining, and affective commitment will be developped. Once affective commitment formed, employee will have a psychological tendency to considering the job schedule in order to the organizational goals could be accomplished. The above consideration will be help for knowledge sharing.In contrast, employees trust in their supervisor through affective commitment to affect knowledge sharing only. The reasons lie in the differcences between target people of knowledge sharing and trust. To some extent, the supervisors representate the organization, exercising their organization rights, obligations adn responsibilities. If employee trusts the boss, they will hold a positive attitude to organization, their affective commitment to organization develops.Employees identify with the organization and involvement in the organization, and employees will would like to service for others, contributing without paying, which means that affective commitment is an important factor to predict psychological behavior. The attitude of selflessness is prerequisite for employees to share knowledge sharing.Similarly, employees trust the organization through affective commitment to have an impact on sharing knowledge. The reasons also lie in the differcences between target people of knowledge sharing and trust. It is not difficult to explain.If employee trust in the organizational, they will be more willing to pay out a considerable effort for organization owing to thinking about the benefit of organization.At this high level of consideration, employee would be willing to provide help and have a positive attitude to participate in exchanging, and then promoting the knowledge sharing.At the same time, we also analyze trust, affective commitment and knowledge sharing whether has significant difference in the demographic variables and company information. The discussion's findings, company will know the employees'attitude clearly, and have a way of knowledge sharing.In reality, the meaning of knowledge sharing is it can reduce costs for enterprises and avoid repetitive work, conducive to organizational harmony climate, and create a communication environment. At the same time, knowledge sharing can improve organizational IQ, because of brainstorm inspiring employees, and we can learn from each other to achieve win-win situation through the sharing process, all these are companies want to employees to persist. Furthermore, knowledge sharing can avoid organization "amnesia", if employees leave, it will not result in the core technology was taken away, the project won't face dilemma. Knowledge sharing achieve the transformation of knowledge from static to dynamic, then know about the knowledge sharing's path is providing a reference for enterprise management's practice. This study makes corresponding management recommendations on the basis of the above anylysis:First, establishing trust between employees. According to the results of this study, enterprises want to develop knowledge sharing must establish trust. Trust can increase the psychological behavior of knowledge sharing. The old method of incenting and evaluating focus on employees accomplish their work within responsible area .if company want to inspire employees to do work outside the responsibilities, it needs through incentives, recognition, so that the employee can reap both in material and spiritual aspects to promote knowledge sharing.Second, increasing the degree that employee's work depends on others. When HR is doing the work of analysis, they should consider the content of employees should connect others'work content, which gives employee an opportunity to communicate, cooperate, and develop teamwork, promote mutual trust between employees.Finally, carry out organizational learning. Organizational learning provides an opportunity to communicate with people, but also an opportunity to improve. Many enterprises have adopted employee being a teacher to make a presentation to tell the knowledge and skills.If a person behave a frivolous way, the content having no positive help, he won't get respect. This organizational learning is a chance to improve knowledge requiring employees to hold a positive attitude to participate. In fact, organizational learning can be achieved through many ways.It could be official or relaxed and happy. For example, the senior staff does action show, or the company organizat the staff to visit enterprises for learning.