Enhancing managerial traits for knowledge sharing: a moderating effect of grit

The unpredictable business environment presents companies with various challenges. Stable companies are able to react quickly thanks to a successful knowledge sharing. To motivate employees to actively participate in knowledge sharing, managers should practice traits of transformational and authentic leaders who synergistically form the basis for knowledge-sharing supportive management. Previous studies have shown that these two leadership styles have a positive impact on knowledge sharing when practiced by managers, although the modalities of how these positive effects can be transferred to employees are still relatively unexplored. Grit, which manifests as passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals, could enable managers to transfer their positive behavior to employees and thus improve the share of organizational knowledge. The survey data was collected from 208 employees of European higher education institutions who are members of nine CEEPUS mobility networks and are actively involved in research activities and international projects. The general idea of this network is to promote the exchange of students and academics in order to enhance learning and cooperation in international projects of benefit to the real sector. The target groups were randomly selected from the higher education institutions active in seven networks, including Croatia (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Monte Negro, Poland, Serbia, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia).
A moderated mediation model was tested to check whether grit improves the ability of managers to share explicit and tacit knowledge with employees. Due to the nature of the study and the potential risk of common method bias, several measures were taken to minimalize this problem. Data were collected from individuals representing both academic and non-academic staff, and the questionnaire contained clear and concise questions. Furthermore, additional analyses were conducted to investigate the potential risk of CMB. Several variables were used as control variables, including: gender, age, work experience and management position. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to determine the factor structure and calculate the measurement model. After checking the normality of the distributions, the data were also checked to see whether they fulfil the essential requirements for carrying out a factor analysis. To test the construct validity of the research model, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out using the Lavaan statistical program. The results confirmed that gritty managers achieve better results only when sharing tacit knowledge. Since tacit knowledge is more complex than explicit knowledge and therefore requires more time and effort on the part of managers, HR can develop practices to enable managers to practice grit in sharing tacit knowledge and thus enable rational use of the organization’s knowledge.

变幻莫测的商业环境给企业带来了诸多挑战。运营稳健的企业依托成功的知识共享能够快速响应市场变化。若要激励员工主动参与知识共享，管理者应践行变革型领导（transformational leadership）与本真型领导的特质，二者协同构成支持知识共享的管理基石。既往研究表明，当管理者采用这两种领导风格时，会对知识共享产生积极影响，但此类积极效应传递至员工的具体机制仍未得到充分探索。坚毅（Grit）作为个体在追求长期目标过程中所展现出的热情与毅力，可助力管理者将自身的积极行为传递给员工，进而提升组织知识共享的水平。本次调查数据采集自欧洲高等教育机构的208名员工，这些员工均隶属于9个CEEPUS流动网络，且积极参与科研活动与国际项目。该网络的核心宗旨是推动学生与学术人员的交流，以促进面向实体经济的国际项目中的学习与合作。研究对象从活跃于7个网络的高等教育机构中随机抽取，涉及国家包括克罗地亚、奥地利、波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那、保加利亚、捷克共和国、匈牙利、马其顿、黑山、波兰、塞尔维亚、罗马尼亚、斯洛文尼亚与斯洛伐克。
本研究采用有调节的中介模型（moderated mediation model），检验坚毅人格是否能够提升管理者与员工分享显性知识（explicit knowledge）与隐性知识（tacit knowledge）的能力。鉴于本研究的性质及共同方法偏差（common method bias, CMB）的潜在风险，研究采取多项措施以尽可能降低该问题的影响：数据同时覆盖学术与非学术岗位从业人员，问卷题目设置清晰简洁；此外，还开展了额外分析以探究共同方法偏差的潜在风险。本研究选取性别、年龄、工作年限与管理职位作为控制变量。通过探索性因子分析（Exploratory Factor Analysis, EFA）确定因子结构并计算测量模型，在检验分布正态性后，进一步验证数据是否满足因子分析的基本要求。为检验研究模型的建构效度（construct validity），采用Lavaan统计软件开展验证性因子分析（Confirmatory Factor Analysis, CFA）。研究结果证实，具备坚毅特质的管理者仅在分享隐性知识时能取得更优成果。由于隐性知识较显性知识更为复杂，对管理者而言需要投入更多时间与精力，因此人力资源部门可制定相关实践方案，助力管理者在分享隐性知识的过程中展现坚毅特质，进而实现组织知识的合理高效利用。