Exploring Knowledge Sharing in a Professional Network: A Central Eurasian Case

Abstract

Increasingly, managers of global teams are faced with the challenge of how to foster knowledge sharing within a virtual or hybrid community. In this study, we replicate Chiu, Hsu, and Wang's (2006) study of the influence of social capital factors on knowledge sharing in virtual communities and extend it to reveal how both the quantity and quality of knowledge sharing may mediate between social capital factors and network involvement and commitment. The context of our investigation is a professional hybrid community in Central Eurasia. Using singleindicator structural equation modeling (SEM) to test our proposed model, we were able to demonstrate both convergent and discriminant validity among the study variables. Our study also provides partial support for the proposed model. Implications for research and practice are discussed.