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Recent advances of engineering management and risk management in China
Edited by Desheng Dash Wu
1 Introduction
In the contemporary knowledge-intensive economy, knowledge is recognized as a critical strategic resource for the organizations. Following the resource based view, the knowledge-based perspective of the firm regards knowledge to be the source of firm's competitive advantage ([44] Grant, 1991; [26] King and Marks, 2008; [37] Jeon et al. , 2011). Knowledge, the researchers contend, is the source of competitive advantage because it signifies intangible assets that are unique, inimitable and non-substitutable ([44] Grant, 1991). However, [3] Alavi and Leidner (2001) observe that the source for competitive advantage resides not in the mere existence of knowledge at any given point of time, but rather in the organization's capability to effectively use the existing knowledge to generate new knowledge assets and to act upon them.
A key enabler of knowledge management is knowledge sharing ([3] Alavi and Leidner, 2001). Knowledge sharing has been recognized as a positive force for the survival of an organization. Yet, the factors that promote or discourage knowledge sharing behaviors in the organizational context are poorly understood ([8] Bock et al. , 2005; [13] Connelly and Kelloway, 2003; [34] Renzl, 2008). Identification of factors that motivate employees to share knowledge for the benefit of other employees and the firm is regarded as a high priority issue for organizations ([46] Davenport and Prusak, 1999; [24] Hsu et al. , 2007). While the factors that influence knowledge sharing behaviors of employees can be speculated, it is crucial that we carefully examine the underlying antecedents of knowledge sharing, if we really want to add value to the practitioners of knowledge sharing. To date, little empirical research exists on what environments and mechanisms are conducive to knowledge sharing. Even much less empirical research exists on the deeper individual issues that shape individuals beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors in knowledge sharing ([48] Hinds and Pfeffer, 2003, [36] Wang and Noe, 2009; [15] Wu and Olson, 2010). The studies of [8] Bock et al. (2005) and [35] Ryu et al. (2003) show some encouraging developments. However, even these studies did not measure explicitly employee's actual knowledge sharing behavior.
If we assume that knowledge is a firm's most important resource ([45] Grant,...