Examining the Effect of Knowledge Acquisition and Information Distribution on Employees’ Performance in Classified Hospitality Firms in Kenya

Abstract

Performance at employees' level is critical to the overall performance of the organization since employees have the first sight of service and product delivery. Knowledge acquisition and information distribution have been acknowledged in literature as fundamental constructs of organizational learning with significant impact on performance. However, most studies have focused on performance at organizational level with limited attention to employees' performance. Empirical literature is inconclusive on the effect of knowledge acquisition and information distribution on employees' performance in different contexts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of knowledge acquisition and information distribution on employees' performance in the hospitality sector in Kenya. Using purposive and stratified random sampling, a sample of 225 respondents was selected from 75 classified hospitality firms in Kenya. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using multiple regression and correlation analyses. The results indicated that knowledge acquisition and information distribution were significantly positively correlated with employees' performance and had higher effect on employees' performance dimensions of service delivery and efficiency. The findings underscore the significance of acquiring new knowledge, exploiting the existing knowledge, sharing knowledge and distributing information to improve service delivery and efficiency in the hospitality sector The findings emphasis the need to align new knowledge to firm's strategy and processes in order to enhance impact on employees' performance.

Exploratory Learning as a Driver of Performance: Integrating the Effects of Knowledge Stock and Resource Flexibility in the Context of Commercial Banks in Kenya

“…Extant literature is inconclusive on the influence of exploratory learning on firm performance with some studies showing contradicting findings [2,[7][8][9]. This may partly be explained by the differing measures adopted to operationalize the constructs of exploratory learning and conceptual models used to study the relationship [1,10]. Further, the contradictory results may be attributed to the multiplicity of approaches, theories and models adopted to measure performance.…”