Should knowledge be shared generously? Tracing insights from past to present and describing a model

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to attempt to answer the following questions: Are people generous at work places? How often do we see people willing to share, when someone seeks knowledge from them without any expectation? What’s the point in having knowledge when somebody doesn’t share it? Then again, why do firms, reward employees to share their knowledge? ¬ ¬? Does sharing knowledge between people need a commercial acceptance or rewarding inspiration? In firms, people, who do not have relevant work-related knowledge, seek it from others. Thus, this implies that people can either share their knowledge or hoard knowledge or share partial knowledge. This research shows that sharing knowledge has existed for centuries and has been practised through generosity, with proof that the more you share the more you obtain in return. The authors analyse the role of generosity in sharing knowledge by tracing insights from literature, religion, science and modern day management scholarly views, and they show how it can lead firms to succeed. In this paper, the authors will propose a direction for future researchers on how developing generosity helps towards sharing knowledge. They also propose a model of generosity based on literature and its interpretation. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on extensive reviews of literature, articles and opinions from scholars. The authors use a keyword protocol to investigate articles from Google scholar and other sources on generosity and knowledge sharing. Findings This paper finds significant relationships and validated shreds of evidence on how generosity towards knowledge sharing has helped humanity in the past and how generosity can help firms to succeed. Originality/value This paper is the first of its kind in trying to explore how developing generosity among people can play a role in facilitating knowledge sharing for firms to succeed. This further suggests a new direction of research for scholars engaged in exploring the role of generosity with a proposed model.

Does humility facilitate knowledge sharing? Investigating the role of humble knowledge inquiry and response

“…Therefore, even though the literature argues that individuals should possess the virtue of humility intrinsically (Frostenson, 2015;Argandona, 2015), extrinsic motivators may also encourage people to embrace and develop humble attitudes. In today's highly competitive corporate world, few people are prepared to offer their knowledge freely (Anand and Walsh, 2016); thus, KS is often induced by employees actively seeking knowledge from others. Based on the literature, humble inquiry by the knowledge seeker at work is more likely to induce a positive and humble response by the knowledge provider, irrespective of their dispositions.…”

“…Thus, humility in firms could become an opportunity as it helps provide confidence and allows employees to develop strong relationships. Furthermore, to encourage proactive KS among employees, managers need to consider the importance of identifying and rewarding the firm's "primum movens" (the first person willing to share with humility, setting an example, and motivating others to do so) (Anand and Walsh, 2016).…”

Evaluation of the Conceptual Theories, Elements, and Processes of Knowledge Management in Modern Day Organisations

“…It typically consists of useful or ready to use information for actions or processes required to make crucial decisions [52]. According to Anand and Walsh [53], knowledge avails users with information, expertise, and skills to perform their day to day activities. Over the years, various researchers and academics have contributed significantly to the understanding of production, utilization and diffusion of knowledge within organisations around the globe [36,54].…”

Organisational Learning Improvement by Using Knowledge Management System

“…Knowledge is usually defined as the power to understand and surprise the essence of facts, the use of certainties and information obtained in the form of experiences or lessons. [3] 3. The advancement in organisational learning by using knowledge management system.…”