Knowledge Sourcing: A Channel Preference Perspective

摘要

Organizations invest in information and communication technology (ICT) such as knowledge repositories and electronic communities of practice to augment traditional means of transferring knowledge, such as via face-to-face interactions with co-located colleagues. These systems make it possible to create a multi-modal knowledge network in which employees have a choice of which channel to use for knowledge transfer. This study investigates the sourcing side of knowledge transfer, and develops hypotheses to assess the degree to which task characteristics, knowledge characteristics and individual characteristics determine the preference for channel selection. This research contributes to theory in knowledge management as it expands our understanding of how various knowledge transfer channels are selected. The research contributes to practice by helping companies understand why employees may or may not be using the various knowledge channels available to them.