Replication Data for: Psychosocial and Organizational Antecedents of Knowledge Sharing in the Workplace

Objective: this paper proposes and evaluates a causal model to explain knowledge sharing among peers in the workplace. The proposed model, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, includes psychosocial factors (transformational leadership, workgroup identification, and shared understanding) and organizational factors (knowledge sharing opportunities and formalization of knowledge sharing processes) as antecedents of individuals' attitudes, perception of subjective norms associated with their group and their direct supervisor, and intention and effective knowledge-sharing behavior. Methods: the model was statistically tested using structural equation modeling techniques with data provided by 131 customer service employees of a large Brazilian telecommunications company. Results: the results indicate that the psychosocial elements have a strong influence on knowledge sharing attitudes and practices. The hypotheses associated with behavioral control have not been confirmed. Moreover, the intention to share knowledge does not seem to be affected by the subjective norms associated with the individual's direct supervisor, but only by those related to their group. Conclusions: the cognitive proximity between group members, reflected in their perception of shared understanding, was an important element in the elicitation of attitudes favorable to knowledge sharing. Additionally, individuals with greater identification with their group tended to have more positive attitudes toward sharing their knowledge. This attitude tends to be more positive when the individual's direct supervisor adopts a more transformational leadership style. The influence of leaders seems to extend from the development of a culture of knowledge exchange and diffusion of principles that stimulate this exchange, to the creation of opportunities to share knowledge through the active management of knowledge diffusion in their teams.研究目标：本文提出并验证了一种因果模型，用以解释职场同伴间的知识共享行为。该模型基于计划行为理论（Theory of Planned Behavior），将社会心理因素中的变革型领导（transformational leadership）、团队认同（workgroup identification）与共享认知（shared understanding），以及组织因素中的知识共享机会与知识共享流程规范化，设定为个体态度、对所在团队与直接主管的主观规范感知、知识共享意向与实际有效知识共享行为的前因变量。 研究方法：本文采用结构方程模型（structural equation modeling）技术，对巴西某大型电信企业131名客服员工的调研数据开展统计检验，以验证所提模型的合理性。 研究结果：结果表明，社会心理要素对知识共享态度与实践具有显著影响；与行为控制（behavioral control）相关的研究假设未得到验证。此外，知识共享意向似乎不受个体直接主管的主观规范影响，仅受团队层面主观规范的驱动。 研究结论：团队成员间的认知邻近性（通过共享认知感知得以体现）是激发正向知识共享态度的关键因素。此外，对团队认同度更高的个体，其知识共享态度往往更为积极；当个体的直接主管采用更具变革型领导风格时，该正向态度会进一步强化。领导者的影响范畴可延伸至两大维度：一是构建知识交换的组织文化并推广激励知识交换的原则，二是通过主动管理团队内的知识传播，创造知识共享的实践机会。