Why do people seek knowledge? Tracing factors that affect knowledge seeking intention

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand factors that motivate an individual to seek knowledge on knowledge management systems. Specifically, the work seeks to clarify the impact of organizational practices on an individual’s intention to seek knowledge. The overarching theme is to broaden...

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Published in:VINE journal of information and knowledge management systems Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 271 - 290
Main Authors: Veeravalli, Suchitra, Venkatraman, Vijayalakshmi, Hariharan, Manoj
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Bingley Emerald Publishing Limited 07.04.2020
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Subjects:
Behavior
Collaboration
Credibility
Curiosity
Empirical analysis
Employees
Engineering
Geographical locations
Human resources
Human resources management
Information overload
Job performance
Job rotation
Knowledge
Knowledge management
Knowledge sharing
Management systems
Qualitative research
Resource management
Social networks
Social research
Knowledge sharing
Knowledge seeking
IT adoption
Knowledge management systems
ISSN:2059-5891, 2059-5905
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand factors that motivate an individual to seek knowledge on knowledge management systems. Specifically, the work seeks to clarify the impact of organizational practices on an individual’s intention to seek knowledge. The overarching theme is to broaden the current understanding of factors that impact individual knowledge seeking behavior and narrow down factors for which interventions can be developed. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with the members of knowledge management (KM), human resources (HR) and learning and development teams of Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Private Limited (RBEI) to understand knowledge behaviors of employees. Subsequent to an exploratory analysis, the survey methodology was used to collect data from members of RBEI. A proposed theoretical model was then validated using partial least squares. Findings Empirical findings suggest that to motivate participation, organizational KM practices need to be geared towards promoting curiosity and engaging learners. Results indicate that overt recognition of knowledge seeking behaviors by HR could be counterproductive. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to an MNC engineering organization in one geographic location; one must be cautious when generalizing these results. Replicating this study in multiple organizations will help mitigate this limitation. Originality/value Little is known on the effect of KM and HR practices on knowledge seeking behaviors. This work addresses this gap and presents a comprehensive model.
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ISSN:2059-5891
2059-5905
DOI:10.1108/VJIKMS-04-2019-0059