Abstract

One of the major goals of using knowledge management systems(KMS) is the sharing of knowledge. The intent of an individual to share his/her knowledge plays a crucial role in sharing quality knowledge in corporations. However, there is little research that addresses this relationship between the intent to share and the use of KMS both from a holistic perspective and with empirical data analyses. To understand major factors that affect both knowledge sharing intent and the use of KMS, we conducted a field study from eight companies in four different industries which had been using KMS for at least a year. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structured equation modeling techniques, we have analyzed the relationships among top management support, trust among peers, trust in the organizational hierarchy, incentives and rewards, knowledge-sharing intent, KMS quality, knowledge quality, and the use of KMS. The research results show that top management support and trust between peers enhance the intent of sharing knowledge. We also found that top management support, knowledge-sharing intent, incentives and rewards, and the quality of knowledge have positive relationships with the use of KMS.

Keywords

• Knowledge-Sharing Intent;
• Knowledge Management Systems;
• Knowledge Quality;
• Trust