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Introduction
In the knowledge-based economy, knowledge sharing is increasingly viewed as critical to organizational effectiveness ([41] Quigley et al. , 2007). It is argued that knowledge sharing among employees significantly impacts the performance of both public and private sector organizations ([47] Silvi and Cuganesan, 2006). As a result, knowledge sharing has gained importance in organizations seeking to gain a competitive edge ([12] Felin and Hesterly, 2007). However, knowledge sharing is challenging in organizations for two reasons. First, employees' tacit knowledge, by its very nature, is difficult to transfer. Second, knowledge sharing is typically voluntary ([32] Lin et al. , 2008). Organizations can manage knowledge resources more effectively only if employees are willing to share their knowledge with colleagues. To facilitate knowledge sharing among public employees and across agencies, it is essential to understand the factors influencing employees' willingness to share knowledge. Accordingly, there is a significant amount of research on factors that may influence knowledge sharing in organizations. However, most research on knowledge sharing has been conducted in private sector organizations (e.g. [15] Hara and Hew, 2007; [26] Land et al. , 2009; [28] Li et al. , 2010) or among students (e.g. [25] Kwok and Gao, 2005). Few studies focus on knowledge sharing in the public sector ([43] Sandhu et al. , 2011; [63] Yusof et al. , 2012).
This article makes two key contributions. First, there is little research on knowledge sharing in public sector organizations. In the past 20 years, significant changes have occurred in the public sector, moving from a traditional, bureaucratic approach to a more managerial one ([43] Sandhu et al. , 2011). Today, public organizations are also known as knowledge-based organizations ([59] Willem and Buelens, 2007). Thus, knowledge is as critical a resource to public sector organizations as it is to private sector firms ([48] Siong et al. , 2011; [59] Willem and Buelens, 2007). Public organizations too have to contend with greater competition for resources and competition from alternative services ([34] Luen and Al-Hawamdeh, 2001). Additionally, improving knowledge sharing processes would help ensure employees benefit as much as possible from senior employees' knowledge and experience before they retire. Second, this study extends the literature on the factors that affect informal knowledge sharing. The study not only examines...