Mohammed Laid Ouakouak, Nour AlBuloushi, Noufou Ouedraogo and Nabeel Sawalha
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether openness to receive and openness to share knowledge drive employees to share knowledge with colleagues in the workplace. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether openness to receive and openness to share knowledge drive employees to share knowledge with colleagues in the workplace. The authors also investigate what, if any, influence knowledge sharing has on performance at both individual and work unit levels.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 237 employees from eight banks in Kuwait. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The knowledge receiver’s openness to receive and openness to share knowledge influence the provider’s knowledge-sharing behavior. The latter positively affects the provider’s job performance and the work unit’s innovation performance. Furthermore, knowledge utilization strengthens knowledge sharing’s positive effect on work unit innovation.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of this study are industry and country specific and, therefore, would likely not be applicable to other settings. Thus, similar future research targeting different industries and/or countries is warranted. As a cross-sectional study, this research can also benefit from subsequent longitudinal studies.
Practical implications
Organizations should create a culture conducive to sharing knowledge. For example, managers should assure employees that knowledge shared with coworkers will be well received and utilized, remove barriers to new knowledge utilization and create awareness among employees that sharing knowledge benefits knowledge providers as well as knowledge providers.
Originality/value
The authors provide evidence of how the knowledge receiver’s openness to receive and to share knowledge affect the provider’s knowledge sharing. The authors also provide insights into how knowledge sharing drives job performance and innovation.
Details
Keywords
Nabeel Sawalha, Yunus Kathawala and Ihab Magableh
This paper aims to explore the relationship between job characteristics (JC) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) moderated by job satisfaction (JS) among educators in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the relationship between job characteristics (JC) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) moderated by job satisfaction (JS) among educators in the higher education institutions in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman, taking into consideration that most educators at the higher education institutions in this area are expatriates.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 157 faculty members and instructors was used. Five job characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback) and five OCB behaviors (altruism, civic virtue, courtesy, conscientiousness, and sportsmanship) were studied. The overall job satisfaction was measured with seven general items adopted from Al-Damour and Awamleh (2002). Data were collected voluntarily using social media network announcements and pencil and paper. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used in testing this moderation relationship.
Findings
Results showed that job satisfaction plays a significant moderating effect in enhancing the relationship between four out of the five job characteristics (feedback, skill variety, task identity and autonomy) and only two out of five OCB behaviors, namely, altruism and courtesy. Also, culture showed no significant impact on results.
Research limitations/implications
Using a self-reporting tool, the respondents could give biased responses that might influence results. In addition, the use a complex relationship to establish a causality relationship among many variables measured with many items did make it difficult and sometimes errored out using SEM analysis.
Practical implications
This study delivers important suggestions to the management of these institutions as well as higher education administration about how to enhance their educators’ OCBs as a source of competitive advantage taking into consideration that expatriates work within certain legal and social contexts.
Originality/value
With very limited related research covering this region, this study provides an insight into how educators’ OCBs can be enhanced within unique employment structures and policies designed for expatriate educators in the GCC countries.