PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the limited previous research on knowledge sharing in universities, by profiling the attitudes of and intentions towards knowledge sharing of UK academics, and by profiling their views of some of the factors that might be expected to impact on knowledge sharing activities.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire‐based survey was used to gather a profile of UK academics' attitudes and intentions towards knowledge sharing and related factors, including expected rewards and associations, expected contribution, normative beliefs on knowledge sharing, leadership, structure, autonomy, affiliation to institution, affiliation to discipline, and technology platform. Responses were received from 230 academics in 11 universities.FindingsRespondents had positive attitudes towards knowledge sharing and their intentions in this area were also good. This may be related to their belief that knowledge sharing will improve and extend their relationships with colleagues, and offer opportunities for internal promotion and external appointments. Respondents are relatively neutral regarding the way in which they are led, and the role of organisational structure and information technology in knowledge sharing. They have a relatively low level of affiliation to their university, perceptions of a high level of autonomy, coupled with a high level of affiliation to their discipline.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that universities do have an embedded knowledge culture, but that culture is individualistic in nature and to some extent self‐serving and instrumental. This poses interesting challenges for knowledge management in universities.
An investigation of factors affecting knowledge sharing amongst UK academics Purpose: Research on knowledge sharing in higher education is extremely sparse. The purpose of this article is to construct and investigate relationships between knowledge sharing factors and attitude and intention to share of UK academics. Design/methodology/approach: A research model and hypotheses were constructed from individual and organisational factors identified that affects knowledge sharing. Questionnaire data was obtained from 367 academics concerning their attitude and intention towards knowledge sharing. This was then used in a two stage structural equation modelling approach where the measurement model was used for confirmatory factor analysis then the structural model was used to measure and test the hypothesised relationships. Findings: Findings indicated that in general, individual beliefs amongst academics were more influential on their knowledge sharing attitudes than organisational culture. Furthermore, leadership was the most influential factor within the overall organisational culture whereas autonomy demonstrated the weakest relationship. Belief in the possibility of rewards through associations was found to be a highly significant individual factor. The relationship between attitude and intention was relatively weak although still statistically significant. Originality/value: The research demonstrates that management should ensure that departmental leaders promote knowledge sharing and ensure that valued rewards are linked to sharing within the department.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of organisational and individual factors on the knowledge sharing behaviour of UK academics. Although there a few articles that explore knowledge sharing between academics in an Asian context, there is currently only one article that explores this topic in a UK context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather insights into academics' views on the factors that affect knowledge sharing. Purposive sampling was employed and a total of twelve academics were interviewed. Findings demonstrated that academics are prepared to share different types of knowledge; a range of organisational and individual factors affecting this process were highlighted by interviewees. Trust was discussed more than other individual factors, and was often associated with social exchange and reciprocal benefits. 2 Culture was described by most interviewees as collaborative and the importance of physical location was stressed. Leaders were generally considered to have integrity, but often did not themselves share knowledge in a way that was visible to staff. Regular face-to-face contact was emphasised as a critical enabler for knowledge sharing. This study demonstrates there is a culture of trust in most departments and academics are willing to share knowledge with their colleagues. They do, however, believe that the matrix structure, that is typical of academic departments, has resulted in unclear roles and responsibilities, which could be a serious hindrance to designing structures to promote collaboration and sharing. Consideration should also be given to ensuring the availability of shared spaces to facilitate face-to-face contact between academics.
This article offers insights into the processes associated with promoting volunteer engagement adopted by a large UK heritage attraction during a period of significant change. Engaged volunteers were regarded as essential to sustain, and where appropriate, to enhance the customer experience. Approach: A case study approach was adopted. This involved review of relevant documentation and interviews and focus groups between researchers, managers and volunteers. Findings: Working from the philosophical stance that information and involvement are strong predecessors to 'buy-in', the managers of the attraction used a series of initiatives that kept volunteers both informed and involved. These initiatives include a values-based induction programme, information and communication, training and development, and creating new narratives. Originality/value: Volunteer engagement influences volunteer commitment to the organisation. This case study offers some insights into initiatives adopted in one heritage organisation to promote volunteer engagement, and thereby provides a basis for other organisations to reflect on their practices in this area.
Despite the growing importance of volunteers to many organizations, there has been little research into how they share their knowledge and develop the skills they need. Moreover, the focus of existing research has been on short-term episodic volunteering. This article addresses these deficits by examining the significance of knowledge sharing to volunteer development and also the relative importance of individual processes. A case study approach is adopted, which focuses on a major heritage site that is heavily reliant on a volunteer workforce. Development of volunteers is particularly relevant to the heritage sector where organizations need a sizeable, stable, and well-trained volunteer workforce. We performed semi-structured interviews with six managers as well as conducting five focus groups with volunteers from diverse work areas in the National Trust. The Volunteer Development through Knowledge Sharing Model is proposed. This is the first conceptual model to summarize the processes in volunteer development. Processes are clustered as follows: informal learning, formal training, learning resources, and research by volunteers. Informal learning through
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