Organizational performance through the donation and collection of interorganizational knowledge

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to provide empirical evidence to support the relationship between interorganizational knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity and organizational performance, and proposes that interorganizational knowledge sharing is composed of two processes: knowledge donation and collection. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative methodology is adopted to examine the proposed relationship between interorganizational knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity and organizational performance. The study uses survey data from 269 companies in Brazil. Structural equation modeling is applied to test the stated hypotheses and the model. Findings – The empirical findings indicate that interorganizational knowledge sharing is composed of the donation and collection of knowledge. Interorganizational knowledge collection is found to have a positive effect on interorganizational knowledge donation, while collection is found to have a positive effect, mediated by absorptive capacity, on organizational performance. Research limitations/implications – One limitation of this research was the predominant participation of smaller companies. Another is that the data were only collected from Brazilian companies. Moreover, an instrument to measure these constructs was proposed and validated to enable future research to be conducted into the process of interorganizational knowledge sharing and its components: knowledge donation and knowledge collection. Practical implications – Managers can enhance organizational performance by developing both the donation and collection of knowledge. Knowledge donation is particularly important because, in addition to its impact on absorptive capacity and organizational performance, it contributes to the development of knowledge collection, which is also indirectly related to performance. Originality value – The donation and collection of knowledge were validated as components of the interorganizational knowledge-sharing process, and the relationship between these processes and organizational performance is mediated by the absorptive capacity of the organization.

How Does Knowledge Absorption Foster Performance? The Mediating Effect of Innovation Capability

“…The results of the study contradict the findings of Nodari et al (2016), that the capability of knowledge absorption has a significant effect on Performance. Knowledge sharing has a significant effect on employee performance.…”

“…The results show that the higher the rate of the decreased absorption capacity of knowledge will increase the performance degradation. Nodari et al (2016) also found that high knowledge absorption capacity will improve performance. H4: Knowledge absorption significantly affects the performance.…”

“…The higher capacity of knowledge absorption will increase the company's innovation capability. Research conducted by Cohen and Levinthal (1990) found that increased absorption capacity (Nodari et al, 2016) of knowledge will have an impact on improving innovation. Similar research results also performed Muskat & Deery (2017) which concluded that the capacity of knowledge absorption is very important in predicting organizational capability (Henttonen et al, 2016).…”

The life cycle process of knowledge sharing in free software communities: Sharing profiles and motivations

“…Finally, with extensive experience in the community, the individual begins to donate knowledge at a greater rate than he/she collects knowledge, as represented by the Donator cluster. This is in line with Hooff and Ridder (), Hooff and Van Weenen (), and Nodari, Oliveira, and Maçada (), who find that the more a person collects, the more he/she donates.…”

Analysing knowledge sharing behaviour in business centres: a mixed multinomial logit model

“…Knowledge sharing can occur between organisations (inter-organisational) or within organisations (intra-organisational) (e.g. Nodari, Oliveira, & Gastaud, 2016;Van Wijk, Jansen, & Lyles, 2008). Although, many studies focus on knowledge sharing within an organisation, organisations could also improve their innovative capabilities by sharing knowledge across organisations (Easterby-Smith, Lyles, & Tsang, 2008).…”