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Linking online and offline intergenerational knowledge transfer to younger employees’ innovative work behaviors: evidence from Chinese hospitals

Changyu Wang, Yihong Dong, Zixi Ye, Jiaojiao Feng

Journal of Knowledge Management

ISSN: 1367-3270

Article publication date: 3 May 2022

Issue publication date: 6 March 2023

894

Abstract

Purpose

Little is known about when younger employees’ intergenerational knowledge transfer (IGKT) – behaviors of acquiring knowledge from older employees – improves their innovative work behaviors (IWB), especially in hospitals. Taking into consideration the moderating roles of individual absorptive capacity (AC) and organization size, this study aims to develop a theoretical model to account for the associations of both online and offline IGKT with younger employees’ IWB.

Design/methodology/approach

The model was tested with a survey of 202 Chinese younger doctors (40 years old and below). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The results showed that both online IGKT and offline IGKT have significant positive relationships with younger doctors’ IWB. Individual AC can strengthen the relationship between offline IGKT and IWB, and organization size can weaken the relationship. However, both individual AC and organization size do not significantly moderate the relationship between online IGKT and IWB.

Originality/value

The findings extend the understanding and application of individual-level knowledge-based view and media synchronicity theory by exploring the relationship of knowledge acquisition from older doctors through both online and offline communication channels with younger doctors’ IWB.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71901106); “Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities”, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (2722022EK070).

Citation

Wang, C., Dong, Y., Ye, Z. and Feng, J. (2023), "Linking online and offline intergenerational knowledge transfer to younger employees’ innovative work behaviors: evidence from Chinese hospitals", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 762-784. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-11-2021-0839

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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