Interorganizational knowledge sharing in a science and technology park: the use of knowledge sharing mechanisms
Journal of Knowledge Management
ISSN: 1367-3270
Article publication date: 25 April 2019
Issue publication date: 11 December 2019
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to uncover the combinations of knowledge sharing mechanisms that organizations in a science and technology park in Brazil use to share managerial and technical knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
This research adopts a qualitative approach that uses a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to analyze data that are gathered from 51 managers of organizations in a science and technology park.
Findings
The results show that knowledge sharing happens regardless of the type of knowledge. There are more alternative paths that lead to knowledge sharing than to its absence. Regarding the type of knowledge shared, there are more alternative configurations that lead to managerial knowledge sharing than to technical knowledge sharing. Only the older organizations in the science and technology park abstain from knowledge sharing.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the qualitative nature of the study, no generalization is possible. Additionally, the study’s limitation is that it involves organizations from a single science and technology park.
Practical implications
The results offer managers of organizations in science and technology parks to choose from alternative combinations of mechanisms to either boost their knowledge sharing or to promote knowledge protection.
Originality/value
The paper provides an original contribution by identifying the combinations of mechanisms that organizations in a science and technology park use that leads to the sharing of specific knowledge types. The findings also identify the combination of mechanisms that older organizations use that prevents them from sharing knowledge.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the support provided by CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brazil,scholarship Programa de Doutorado-sanduíche no Exterior/Processo n° 88881.132892/2016-01), CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – Brazil) by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - Portugal) under the project UID/SOC/04521/2013.
Citation
Balle, A.R., Steffen, M.O., Curado, C. and Oliveira, M. (2019), "Interorganizational knowledge sharing in a science and technology park: the use of knowledge sharing mechanisms", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 23 No. 10, pp. 2016-2038. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-05-2018-0328
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited