The advances in online technology has revolutionised online communication. As a result of new emerging web technologies virtual interactions have taken a much more interactive structure. These improvements in technology provide richer communication experiences for the users. Online communities, with the aid of new web 2.0 technology, provide the ideal environment for knowledge sharing. It is the interaction and communication between users of such communities that triggers information and knowledge sharing. Knowledge and information sharing sets the foundation for knowledge creation and co-creation. Meanwhile knowledge is known to be one of the greatest assets of any company or organisation. A significant amount of research has been dedicated to knowledge management. Nevertheless little research has been done to explore knowledge creation and co-creation, particularly in an online community setting. This research is investigating the idea of knowledge co-creation within an online community environment. Knowing that knowledge itself is a subjective entity, which cannot be objectively measured or quantified, the research takes an interpretive approach to finding out how this knowledge is co-created by the users of online communities. One of the main significant factors of this study is that it has used a unique and novel research method to tackle what appears to be a difficult subject. The research uses an interpretive case study method, however without any data collection. The investigation will be exclusively interpretive and philosophically evaluated based on the relevant literature and a set of principles introduced by Klein and Myers (1999). These principles were introduced as a guideline for conducting and evaluating interpretive studies in information systems. Using Klein and Myers’ principles has the advantage of being based on a well-established contemporary literature in information systems (IS) research methodology. The principles have not been used in an exclusively exploratory and interpretive research before. This itself is a major methodological contribution for future researchers to utilise as a practical example. The study develops a conceptual framework around knowledge co-creation, online communities and the technology. This framework is based on a proposed RECI model offered for knowledge creation in online communities. It also investigates the role of technology in the co-creation process. Finally it proposes a set of characteristics and guidelines that facilitate knowledge co-creation in online communities. These characteristics and guidelines would help design and implement future knowledge co-creating online communities, for example, e-learning and knowledge management systems. Furthermore the research lays the foundations for introducing the knowledge co-creation theory within online communities by proposing the initial hypothesis. Subject to appropriate future research and testing, the hypothesis can be developed into a practical theory.

Kunskapsdelning har fått allt mer uppmärksamhet över de senaste decennierna och har börjat anses vara en möjlighet för organisationer att skaffa sig en konkurrensfördel. Samtidigt som kunskapsdelningen har uppmärksammats mer så har kunskap börjat anses vara en mycket värdefull resurs i sig och vissa forskare menar att det också är en vital del i innovation som också anses vara en hållbar källa till konkurrensfördelar för företag. Detta torde räcka som incitament för att få vilken företagsledare som helst att eftersträva effektiva kunskapsdelningsinitiativ, men en förstudie till den här uppsatsen indikerar att så inte nödvändigtvis är fallet. Vissa forskare pekar på att fälten kunskapsförvaltning och kunskapsdelning är omgivna av oklarhet och komplexitet. Några av dessa forskare pekar också på att detta kan vara anledningen till att många företag har svårt att implementera framgångsrika kunskapsdelningsinitiativ. Denna studie har därför som syfte att undersöka oklarheten och komplexiteten som omger kunskapsdelning. Studiens resultat pekar på att oklarheten kan vara något överdriven då det undersökta företaget framgångsrikt implementerar och använder några av de mest citerade teorierna inom området. / Knowledge sharing has been gaining more interest over the past decades, and is being recognized as an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage for organisations. While knowledge sharing has been gaining more attention, knowledge itself has begun to be considered a valuable resource and some researchers even consider it to be a vital part of innovation, which is also suggested to be a sustainable source of competitive advantage for companies. One would think that this is enough incentive to drive any company executive to pursue effective knowledge sharing initiatives, but a pilot-study for this paper suggests that this is not necessarily the case. Some researchers suggest that there is a vagueness surrounding the field of knowledge management and knowledge sharing. They also suggest that this is the reason as to why so many companies struggle to have success with their knowledge sharing initiatives. The aim of this study is therefore to examine the vagueness and complexity surrounding knowledge sharing. The results of this study implies that this vagueness might be somewhat exaggerated, seeing that the company examined in this study seems to implement and execute some of the most cited theories in the field quite successfully.

It is vital for knowledge workers to utilise social media tools to enhance knowledge sharing practices and the adoption of these collaborative tools in higher learning institutions. This study investigated the extent to which social media tools are utilised to enhance knowledge sharing practices among knowledge workers at Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania. The study conducted semi-structured interview with the NM-AIST library staff and Information and Communication Technology Resource Centre (ICT-RC) personnel in 2014. The study found that, the utilisation of social media tools to enhance knowledge sharing among knowledge workers is still in its early stages in higher learning institutions in Tanzania. However, there was much interest amongst respondents for integrating and utilising social media tools to support knowledge sharing in higher learning institutions. The findings indicated that: social media tools can be used to enhance knowledge sharing practices; however, face to face mechanism, Google Mail, and Google Drive were indicated as main mechanisms to enhance knowledge sharing practices in higher learning institutions. Knowledge workers at the NM-AIST shared knowledge to facilitate teaching and learning activities, research and innovation; however knowledge sharing practices occur when needs arise. The study revealed the lack of knowledge sharing culture documented at the NM-AIST. The study has recommended the following: proper training for knowledge workers, employment of skilled and experienced knowledge workers, provision of full support (motivation), provide support to individual users. Application of social media tools which are very familiar and simple to use, establishment of a good relationship between knowledge workers and the management, as well as with schools and departments in higher learning institutions. Additionally, the study recommends the provision of adequate social media tools to facilitate knowledge diffusion within institutions. / Mini Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Information Science / MIT / Unrestricted

In a rapidly growing and evolving environment, organizations must be able to reconfigure their resource base in order to adapt to changes. Several studies and research findings have already recognized knowledge management as a mean to enhance an organization’s dynamic capabilities and innovation. Effective knowledge management strategies have therefore become essential for an organization to achieve competitive advantage and finally innovate. Among the challenges for an effective knowledge management strategy, the transformation of "tacit" knowledge, that exists only in the experiences and mind of individuals and as such is difficult to be codified and transmitted, into "explicit" knowledge, which instead can be easily expressed and documented, is essential to guarantee continuous organizational learning. Modern software development processes, such as Agile, provide to organizations several knowledge sharing techniques, to aid in the transformation of knowledge from "tacit" to "explicit" one. This study aims at investigating the impact of agile knowledge sharing methodologies on both dynamic and innovation capabilities of a selected case study organization, and further analyses the factors that may be contributing to such relationship. The research is carried out by surveying a representative sample of employees of a German software development company, CompanyX. In total, 15 responses were received and a semi-structured face-to-face interview was conducted with one senior manager. Correlation and reliability testing are used as statistical tools to test both the reliability and validity of the model. Finally, the causality between the factors affecting knowledge sharing methodologies in use at CompanyX and the organization’s dynamic and innovation capabilities are analysed and compared to previous theoretical and empirical research findings. Several important observations are made as a result of our study. In particular, the overall research findings demonstrate that agile knowledge sharing methodologies can act as enhancers of CompanyX dynamic capabilities and enablers of innovation.

Ownership is an innate perception of individuals which could manifest in their possessive behaviours. Owners of property are inclined to extend a sense of self to their possessions, demand a right to control them and use them as a tool with which to interact or negotiate with other people. Clarifying ownership of knowledge is difficult in terms of whether the knowledge in question should belong to an individual following privacy rights or it should belong to an organisation following intellectual property rights (IPR). Furthermore, conflicts occur between developed countries which have a stronger culture for the IPR than developing countries do. Studying knowledge ownership helps to understand these differing viewpoints. Previous works found that knowledge ownership influences the intentions to share knowledge. Nevertheless, little research has been done to explore the knowledge ownership concept particularly in a cross-cultural context. This thesis suggests that cross-cultural research is an appropriate approach to conduct a study on knowledge ownership because ownership perceptions vary from cultures to cultures. The work of Ekweozor (2008) is extended in this study to include a comparative study between the UK and Thailand to validate previous findings. Furthermore, knowledge ownership concept, its influencing factors and its relationship with knowledge sharing intentions are examined. Secondary data in the UK context were adopted from Ekweozor (2008)'s work. The Thai version questionnaires translated from her English version were distributed to collect data in the Thai context. The results show that knowledge sharing intentions vary according to types of ownership perception which include individual, organisational and collaborative ownership. Employees who perceive organisational ownership tend to have more intention to share knowledge than the others. In contrast, employees who perceive individual ownership tend to have less intention to share knowledge than the others. In addition, the results reveal that contextual factors including nationality and sector, and conditional factors including types of knowledge, the work environment and personal characteristics, influence what individuals believe about knowledge ownership. Moreover, apart from the mediating role, it is found that knowledge ownership also has a moderating role between the work environment and knowledge sharing intentions. It should be noted that the study was conducted only in the UK and Thailand thus it may not be able to generalise to other countries. Despite this limitation, this study emphasises that knowledge ownership perception is a crucial factor that influences knowledge sharing intentions in organisations. In addition, knowledge ownership could mediate and moderate the relationship between the work environment and knowledge sharing intentions. It is also recommended that contextual factors should be considered when conducting a study on knowledge ownership perceptions because each context differs in many respects such as cultures, regulations and the work environment. Therefore, in order to strengthen and validate research findings in this area, cross-cultural research is an important strategy. Overall, this study theoretically and practically contributes to and advances knowledge of knowledge ownership by providing empirical evidences and implications for researchers and practitioners in a cross-cultural context.

Focusing on the potential use of telemedicine among other efforts for better treatment of stroke patients, this study explored the role of telemedicine in the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. To this end, fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with physicians, specialists, neurologists, and decision makers from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). Actor-network and diffusion of innovations theories provided a theoretical framework for this exploratory qualitative study. The study was intended: 1) to find out about the major challenges and problems associated with managing stroke patients in Afghanistan; 2) to explore the perceptions of Afghan health professionals about the application of telemedicine as a means of improving the delivery of health services for stroke patients in Afghanistan; and 3) to understand the perceived barriers to knowledge sharing and to ascertain the potential role of telemedicine in knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. The findings of this study demonstrated that almost all of the participants were optimistic about the potential positive role telemedicine could play in the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. Some important existing organisational, socio-economic, geographical, security, and cultural barriers to the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan were revealed. To the best knowledge of the researcher, there has been no study of this kind conducted in Afghanistan yet; thus, the findings of this study will likely contribute to the development of health communication in the context of Afghanistan, and could likely be used as a resource for future research about the applications of telemedicine in various medical specialities.

Tacit Knowledge Sharing and Self-Efficacy are well developed concepts within the academicfields of Knowledge Management and Social Cognitive Theory. The purpose of the study wasto investigate the antecedents and the relationship between the two concepts in for-profit andnon-profit organisations. The study employed Ipe’s model of knowledge sharing to TacitKnowledge Sharing and Albert Bandura’s contribution to Self-Efficacy. A qualitative studywas conducted and the authors collected data through semi-structured interviews which werelater analysed through a process of content analysis. The findings show that sources ofinformation for self-efficacy judgements can be influenced by the occurrence of TacitKnowledge Sharing. Organisations can benefit from these findings by incorporatingopportunities to share tacit knowledge into their working routines, helping their employeescirculate knowledge and increase their sense of self-efficacy

In the current global market, knowledge is viewed as a source of competitive advantage. In particular, it has become a crucial factor for Multinational Corporations (MNCs). MNCs are searching for appropriate ways to manage and use their knowledge effectively and efficiently. Their challenge is how to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and maximise the value from all available knowledge assets. In response to this, MNCs use Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs) for sharing, utilising and integrating knowledge as well as supporting Decision-making Processes. Therefore, the primary concern of this research is to examine knowledge sharing by using KMSs to support decision-making processes in MNCs. The study extends the existing literature on KMSs, knowledge sharing, and decision-making processes by proposing and empirically testing a new conceptual model in MNCs. For this purpose, a mixed-methods approach has been designed, combining semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire to collect data from MNCs participants from Europe and the Middle-East. In the first phase of this study, 42 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from 32 different MNCs in 12 countries to explore the main factors affecting knowledge sharing by using KMSs to support decision-making processes. A conceptual framework comprising four core dimensions was developed using thematic analysis. In the first dimension, Knowledge Management Systems, three themes were identified: technology acceptance, communication tools, and KMSs usage. In the second dimension, Knowledge Sharing Practices, the three themes were: content, willingness to share, and external factors. In Culture, the themes were: national culture, organisational culture, and information technology culture. In the fourth dimension, Decision-making Processes, extent of analysis and speed of decision-making were identified. This study went a step further than merely identifying the factors that affect KS. A conceptual model and twelve hypotheses were developed based on the findings of the thematic analysis, literature review, and the research objectives. The new model comprises seven constructs: organisational culture, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of using KMSs, KMSs usage, knowledge sharing, decision-making processes and organisational effectiveness. A survey was conducted to collect data on participants’ perceptions to test the model. Responses from 221 KMSs users were analysed. Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the hypothesised relationships. The results revealed that all hypotheses are statistically significant. KMSs usage and organisational culture have a positive and significant impact on knowledge sharing, with organisational culture having the largest impact. KMSs usage, knowledge sharing and organisational culture have a significant effect on decision-making processes; knowledge sharing has the biggest impact, followed by KMSs usage, and a marginally positive impact of organisational culture. Moreover, perceived ease of use has a strong and positive significant impact on the perceived usefulness of KMSs. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and organisational culture have a positive and significant effect on KMSs usage, with organisational culture having the largest impact. Finally, organisational culture, decision-making processes and perceived usefulness have a positive and significant impact on organisational effectiveness, but decision-making processes have the biggest impact. This study has practical implications for different stakeholders in MNCs, including managers, decision makers, KMSs designers, IT specialists, and consultants, in linking KMSs usage and knowledge sharing with decision-making processes and organisational effectiveness, and by focusing on organisational culture in knowledge management.

D. Litt. et Phil. / As the world moved from an industrial society to a knowledge society where people tend to work smarter and not harder, knowledge (implicit and explicit) became the main asset of a modern organisation. Human assets took precedence over financial assets. However, the rate at which the knowledge bank was increased owing to the progress in information technology was so fast that it became humanly impossible for one or two people to possess all knowledge. The notion of “knowledge is power” changed to one of “knowledge sharing is power”. While explicit knowledge can be quantified, saved and reused, tacit knowledge can only be shared voluntarily. This sharing of knowledge has given rise to communities of practice (CoPs). This study investigates the phenomenon of CoPs in an academic higher education (HE) institution such as a university. The aim was to establish criteria that could be used to identify the existence of such communities and their contribution to the institution, why CoPs are formed or not and how the formation of a CoP can enrich the knowledge bank of the institution. Once these objectives were achieved, it was hoped that it would be possible to create or encourage existing CoPs and ultimately ways to manage them.

Although the literature indicates that knowledge sharing (KS) research is prevalent in the private sector, there is scant empirical research data about KS in the public sector. Moreover, organizations lack an understanding of employee KS behavior. This study investigated two research questions: First, how does the perceived importance of five determinants of KS behavior (organizational culture, workplace trust, incentives, management support, and technology) vary based upon the variables of job function, gender, and work category? Second, what is the relative importance of the five determinants of KS behavior to U.S. federal government employees? This descriptive study employed a Web-based survey methodology and interviews to collect data. The survey was administered to 121 employees in a single U.S. government organization, with a response rate of 69%. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used for data analysis, and the multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of variance statistical techniques were used to compare variables. The study findings indicated no statistical differences in perceptions of the five facets investigated relative to the variables of work category, gender, and job function, and no statistical differences in the importance among the five determinates investigated. As a result, the null hypotheses were not rejected. Additional findings were that respondents perceived the five facets investigated to be positive KS determinants and that they agreed or strongly agreed that each facet was important to the success of KS initiatives. Although the results indicated no statistically significant difference between the five facets investigated, the results support literature findings that the five facets are important to the KS process. The investigation also advances the current state of KS implementation in the public sector by providing empirical data on a subject that is rarely investigated in the U.S. federal government. Future studies in similar and larger organizations are recommended. The investigation is a positive step toward improving the understanding of the determinants that affect employee KS behavior and provides a tool for KS planners to use to ascertain the state of KS in their organizations.