Exploring the factors that influence knowledge sharing between academics

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of organisational and individual factors on the knowledge sharing behaviour of UK academics. Although there a few articles that explore knowledge sharing between academics in an Asian context, there is currently only one article that explores th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of further and higher education 2019-01, Vol.43 (8), p.1051-1063
Main Authors: Fullwood, Roger, Rowley, Jennifer, McLean, Jacqueline
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
academics
Collaboration
College Faculty
Computer Mediated Communication
Departments
Foreign Countries
Higher education
Interviews
Knowledge Management
Knowledge sharing
Leadership Styles
Organizational Culture
Physical Environment
Rewards
Scholars
Semi Structured Interviews
Sharing Behavior
Synchronous Communication
Teacher Attitudes
Teacher Collaboration
Trust (Psychology)
Universities
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Summary:The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of organisational and individual factors on the knowledge sharing behaviour of UK academics. Although there a few articles that explore knowledge sharing between academics in an Asian context, there is currently only one article that explores this topic in a UK context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 academics to gather insights into their views on the factors that affect knowledge sharing. Findings demonstrated that academics are prepared to share different types of knowledge; a range of factors affecting this process were highlighted by interviewees. Trust was discussed more than other individual factors and was often associated with social exchange. Culture was described by most interviewees as collaborative and leaders were generally considered to have integrity, but often did not themselves share knowledge. Regular face-to-face contact was emphasised as being critical for knowledge sharing. This study demonstrates there is a culture of trust in most departments and academics are willing to share knowledge with their colleagues. They do, however, believe that the matrix structure, that is typical of academic departments, has resulted in unclear roles and responsibilities, which could hinder the design of structures to promote collaboration and sharing.
ISSN:0309-877X
1469-9486
DOI:10.1080/0309877X.2018.1448928