Tacit Knowledge Sharing in Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Antecedents and Its Mediators

I Made Artha Wibawa; Ni Putu Santi  Suryantini; I Gusti Bagus Honor Satrya

doi:10.23887/ijssb.v7i4.60619

Authors

I Made Artha Wibawa Universitas Udayana, Denpasar, Indonesia
Ni Putu Santi Suryantini Universitas Udayana, Denpasar, Indonesia
I Gusti Bagus Honor Satrya Universitas Udayana, Denpasar, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23887/ijssb.v7i4.60619

Keywords:

Tacit Knowledge Sharing, organizational commitment, interpersonal influence, cooperation attitudes, organizational justice

Abstract

Knowledge sharing as part of the source of knowledge, especially tacit knowledge, is the most transparent and subjective form of knowledge, an important driver for maintaining a competitive position and organizational sustainability. Reluctance to share knowledge is seen as unethical, which can hamper the survival of an organization. This knowledge provides human resources with qualified, superior, and long-term survival capabilities. This study aims to examine the antecedents and mediators of Tacit knowledge sharing. This research is a quantitative study with a population of 393 MSMEs in Bali Province. The sample collection method used the Solvin formula and simple random sampling to obtain 389 samples. Respondents are management, with a Likert scale questionnaire research instrument 1-5. Analysis using PLS-SEM and processed with SmartPLS 2.0 software. The results of the study show that tacit knowledge sharing has an effect on interpersonal and trust in co-workers, with the mediator variable being trusted in co-workers. This research implies communication creates effectiveness and time efficiency so as to increase trust and encourage the intention to cooperate and share knowledge secretly.

References

Anglin, A. H., Kincaid, P. A., Short, J. C., & Allen, D. G. (2022). Role Theory Perspectives: Past, Present, and Future Applications of Role Theories in Management Research. Journal of Management, 48(6), 1469–1502. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063221081442. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063221081442

Annansingh, F., Howell, K. E., Liu, S., & Baptista Nunes, M. (2018). Academics’ perception of knowledge sharing in higher education. International Journal of Educational Management, 32(6), 1001–1015. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-07-2016-0153. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-07-2016-0153

Aras, R. A., Rahmadani, A. R., Nurkhalifa, N., & Rahmiani, N. (2022). Job Stress Impact on Nurse’s Organizational Commitment and The Role of Work Life Balance. Jurnal Manajemen Bisnis, 9(1), 204–214. https://doi.org/10.33096/jmb.v9i1.136.

Arsawan, I. W. E., Koval, V., Rajiani, I., Rustiarini, N. W., Supartha, W. G., & Suryantini, N. P. S. (2020). Leveraging knowledge sharing and innovation culture into SMEs sustainable competitive advantage. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 71(2), 405–428. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-04-2020-0192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-04-2020-0192

Bansal, A. (2016). Employee trust dynamics during organizational change: A context of mergers and acquisitions. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 8(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-08-2015-0075. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-08-2015-0075

Bao, Z., & Wang, D. (2021). Examining consumer participation on brand microblogs in China: perspectives from elaboration likelihood model, commitment–trust theory and social presence. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 15(1), 10–29. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-02-2019-0027. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-02-2019-0027

Caldwell, C., & Ndalamba, K. K. (2017). Trust and being “worthy”–the key to creating wealth. Journal of Management Development, 36(8), 1076–1086. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-09-2016-0169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-09-2016-0169

Carmon, A. F., Miller, A. N., Raile, A. N., & Roers, M. M. (2010). Fusing family and firm: Employee perceptions of perceived homophily, organizational justice, organizational identification, and organizational commitment in family businesses. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 1(4), 210–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2010.10.003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2010.10.003

Chen, D., Lin, Q., Yang, T., Shi, L., Bao, X., & Wang, D. (2022). Distributive Justice and Turnover Intention Among Medical Staff in Shenzhen, China: The Mediating Effects of Organizational Commitment and Work Engagement. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 15, 665–676. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S357654. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S357654

Crane, L., & Bontis, N. (2014). Trouble with tacit: developing a new perspective and approach. Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(6), 1127–1140. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-02-2014-0061. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-02-2014-0061

Curtis, M. B., & Taylor, E. Z. (2018). Developmental mentoring, affective organizational commitment, and knowledge sharing in public accounting firms. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(1), 142–161. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2017-0097. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2017-0097

Dang-Pham, D., Pittayachawan, S., & Bruno, V. (2017). Applying network analysis to investigate interpersonal influence of information security behaviours in the workplace. Information and Management, 54(5), 625–637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2016.12.003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2016.12.003

Dutta, A., & Rangnekar, S. (2023). Promoting concern for team members in Indian enterprises through personal interaction: mediating through a preference for teamwork and co-worker support. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 10(4), 582–600. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-05-2022-0103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-05-2022-0103

Epitropaki, O. (2013). A multi-level investigation of psychological contract breach and organizational identification through the lens of perceived organizational membership: Testing a moderated–mediated model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(1), 65–86. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1793. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1793

F. Hair Jr, J., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., & G. Kuppelwieser, V. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). European Business Review, 26(2), 106–121. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128

Fayyaz, A., Chaudhry, B. N., & Fiaz, M. (2020). Upholding knowledge sharing for organization innovation efficiency in Pakistan. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc7010004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc7010004

Gamlath, S., & Wilson, T. (2022). Dimensions of student-to-student knowledge sharing in universities. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 20(4), 542–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2020.1838961. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2020.1838961

Ganguly, A., Talukdar, A., & Chatterjee, D. (2019). Evaluating the role of social capital, tacit knowledge sharing, knowledge quality and reciprocity in determining innovation capability of an organization. Journal of Knowledge Management, 23(6), 1105–1135. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2018-0190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2018-0190

Gaur, A. S., Ma, H., & Ge, B. (2019). MNC strategy, knowledge transfer context, and knowledge flow in MNEs. Journal of Knowledge Management, 23(9), 1885–1900. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2018-0476. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2018-0476

Goswami, A. K., & Agrawal, R. K. (2018). A reflection on knowledge sharing research: patterns and trends. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 48(3), 352–372. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-08-2017-0049. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-08-2017-0049

Griffin, R. W., Phillips, J. M., & Gully, S. M. (2014). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations.

Grimmelikhuijsen, S., & Klijn, A. (2015). The effects of judicial transparency on public trust: Evidence from a field experiment. Public Administration, 93(4), 995–1011. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12149. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12149

Grootelaar, H. A., & van den Bos, K. (2018). How Litigants in Dutch Courtrooms Come to Trust Judges: The Role of Perceived Procedural Justice, Outcome Favorability, and Other Sociolegal Moderators. Law and Society Review, 52(1), 234–268. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12315. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12315

Hanifah, H., Halim, H. A., Ahmad, N. H., & Vafaei-Zadeh, A. (2020). Can internal factors improve innovation performance via innovation culture in SMEs? Benchmarking: An International Journal, 27(1), 382–405. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-06-2018-0174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-06-2018-0174

Hansen, A. V., & Jørgensen, A. P. (2022). Employee-ownership: Exploring the Potentials of Practicing a Democratic Ideal. International Business Research, 16(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v16n1p1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v16n1p1

Hemsley, J., & Mason, R. M. (2013). Knowledge and Knowledge Management in the Social Media Age. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 23(1–2), 138–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/10919392.2013.748614. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10919392.2013.748614

Herold, D. M., Fedor, D. B., & Caldwell, S. D. (2007). Beyond change management: a multilevel investigation of contextual and personal influences on employees’ commitment to change. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 942. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.942. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.942

Horvat, J., Sharma, K., & Bobek, S. (2016). Key factors for knowledge management: pilot study in IT SMEs. FIIB Business Review, 5(3), 32–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/2455265820160306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2455265820160306

Imamoglu, S. Z., Ince, H., Turkcan, H., & Atakay, B. (2019). The Effect of Organizational Justice and Organizational Commitment on Knowledge Sharing and Firm Performance. Procedia Computer Science, 158, 899–906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.09.129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.09.129

Intezari, A., Taskin, N., & Pauleen, D. J. (2017). Looking beyond knowledge sharing: an integrative approach to knowledge management culture. Journal of Knowledge Management, 21(2), 492–515. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-06-2016-0216. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-06-2016-0216

Kadam, R., Balasubramanian, S., Kareem Abdul, W., & Jabeen, S. S. (2021). Predicting organizational citizenship behavior in a multicultural environment: The role of cultural intelligence and cultural distance. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 21(3), 602–624. https://doi.org/10.1177/14705958211051510. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14705958211051510

Kadam, R., Rao, S. A., Abdul, W. K., & Jabeen, S. S. (2021). Cultural intelligence as an enabler of cross-cultural adjustment in the context of intra-national diversity. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 21(1), 31–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595821995857. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595821995857

Khan, Q. I., Bashir, M., Ali, M., & Javaid, A. (2022). Mediating Role of Perceived Fairness between Organizational Commitment, Organizational Trust and Work Engagement of Female Faculty Members of Public Sector Universities in Punjab, Pakistan. Journal of Accounting and Finance in Emerging Economies, 8(2), 365–370. https://doi.org/10.26710/jafee.v8i2.2386. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26710/jafee.v8i2.2386

Kim, J. S., Milliman, J. F., & Lucas, A. F. (2021). Effects of CSR on affective organizational commitment via organizational justice and organization-based self-esteem. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92(September 2020), 102691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102691. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102691

Marta, I. A., Supartha, I., Dewi, I. G. A. M., & Wibawa, I. (2021). Job enrichment, empowerment, and organizational commitment: The mediating role of work motivation and job satisfaction. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(1), 1031–1040. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2021.vol8.no1.1031.

Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1997). Commitment in the Workplace: Theory, Research and Application. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452231556

Mohammed, N., & Kamalanabhan, T. J. (2020a). Interpersonal trust and employee knowledge sharing behavior: Creative performance as the outcome. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 50(1), 94–116. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-04-2019-0057. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-04-2019-0057

Mohammed, N., & Kamalanabhan, T. J. (2020b). Tacit knowledge seeking from teammates: unravelling the role of social capital. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 28(3), 765–790. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-07-2019-1845. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-07-2019-1845

Primeaux, P. S. M., Karri, R., & Caldwell, C. (2003). Cultural insights to justice: A theoretical perspective through a subjective lens. Journal of Business Ethics, 46, 187–199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025017024336

Rahman, U. U., Rehman, C. A., Imran, M. K., & Aslam, U. (2017). Does team orientation matter? Linking work engagement and relational psychological contract with performance. Journal of Management Development, 36(9), 1102–1113. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-10-2016-0204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-10-2016-0204

Saad, S. K., & Elshaer, I. A. (2020). Justice and trust’s role in employees’ resilience and business’ continuity: Evidence from Egypt. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, 100712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100712. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100712

Sartori, J. T., Frederico, G. F., Freitas, M. D. C. D., & Júnior, R. M. (2020). Specificities of SMEs relevant to knowledge management: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Business Excellence, 22(1), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBEX.2020.109212. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBEX.2020.109212

Schepers, J. J., & Van der Borgh, M. (2020). A Meta-Analysis of Frontline Employees’ Role Behavior and the Moderating Effects of National Culture. Journal of Service Research, 23(3), 255–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520918669. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520918669

Schmidt, G. B. (2016). How Adult Attachment Styles Relate to Perceived Psychological Contract Breach and Affective Organizational Commitment. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 28, 147–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-016-9278-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-016-9278-9

Stofberg, R., Bussin, M., & Mabaso, C. M. (2022). Pay transparency, job turnover intentions and the mediating role of perceived organizational support and organizational justice. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 44(7), 162–182. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2022-0077. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2022-0077

Summers, J., & Chillas, S. (2021). Working in employee-owned companies: The role of economic democracy skills. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 42(4), 1029–1051. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X19835319. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X19835319

Thomas, A., & Gupta, V. (2022a). Tacit knowledge in organizations: Bibliometrics and a framework-based systematic review of antecedents, outcomes, theories, methods and future directions. Journal of Knowledge Management, 26(4), 1014–1041. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-01-2021-0026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-01-2021-0026

Thomas, A., & Gupta, V. (2022b). The role of motivation theories in knowledge sharing: an integrative theoretical reviews and future research agenda. Kybernetes, 51(1), 116–140. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-07-2020-0465.

Thomas, E. F., McGarty, C., & Mavor, K. (2016). Group interaction as the crucible of social identity formation: A glimpse at the foundations of social identities for collective action. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 19(2), 137–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430215612217. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430215612217

Vaughan‐Smith, K. (2013). Harnessing the strategic power of trust. Strategic Direction, 29(5), 3–5. https://doi.org/10.1108/02580541311316514. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02580541311316514

Vosse, B. J. F., & Aliyu, O. A. (2018). Determinants of employee trust during organisational change in higher institutions. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 31(5), 1105–1118. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-05-2017-0203. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-05-2017-0203

Wang, C., Yuan, T., & Feng, J. (2022). Instrumental ties or expressive ties? Impact mechanism of supervisor–subordinate ties based on enterprise social media on employee performance. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 35(3), 866–884. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-06-2021-0238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-06-2021-0238

Yean, T. F. (2016). Organizational justice: A conceptual discussion. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 219, 798–803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.082. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.082

Yu, Y., Hao, J. X., Dong, X. Y., & Khalifa, M. (2013). A multilevel model for effects of social capital and knowledge sharing in knowledge-intensive work teams. International Journal of Information Management, 33(5), 780–790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2013.05.005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2013.05.005

Zayer, C., & Benabdelhadi, A. (2020). The consequences of the perceived organizational justice: a holistic overview. International Journal of Accounting, Finance, Auditing, Management and Economics, 1(3), 91–108. http://www.ijafame.org/index.php/ijafame/article/view/119.

Zhang, K. Z., Benyoucef, M., & Zhao, S. J. (2015). Consumer participation and gender differences on companies’ microblogs: A brand attachment process perspective. Computers in Human Behavior, 44, 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.068. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.068

Zhao, S., Liu, X., Andersson, U., & Shenkar, O. (2022). Knowledge management of emerging economy multinationals. Journal of World Business, 57(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2021.101255. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2021.101255