Based on the conservation of resource theory (COR), this study explores the double-edged effect of work gamification on knowledge hiding among gig workers. Utilizing a three-stage field study, 422 food delivery workers and ride-hailing drivers participated in the survey. This study revealed a U-shaped relationship between work gamification and gig worker knowledge hiding, with work alienation serving as the mediating mechanism. This study reveals for the first time the dual effects of work gamification on knowledge hiding among gig workers and highlights the critical role of work alienation in this dynamic, opening the possibility of obtaining a more refined understanding of the strengths and weaknesses associated with work gamification. This study also helps the platforms continue to practice and innovate in the form of work gamification, heightening the sense of meaning and freshness among gig workers, thereby improving knowledge management.
How is tacit knowledge (TK) used in the context of knowledge work (KW) by individuals who cannot rely on expert guidance? Drawing on qualitative data collected from 127 individuals engaged in amateur artistic work, this study develops an inductive framework and proposes that the use of TK during KW is shaped by a generative interplay between four practices and two knowledge cycles, moderated by individual characteristics and influenced by an acclimating antecedent. The four practices include immersing, distancing, modulating, and internalized scanning. Individuals build on their prior knowledge and periodically self-assess their performance in a betterment realization cycle. When knowledge is unavailable, they rely on internalized scanning practices in a betterment search cycle, seeking environmental cues and templates for action. Through these two cycles, they perform KW without expert guidance. These findings have theoretical and practical implications.
This study examines the transformative potential of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) on the knowledge management (KM) systems and capabilities in organizations. GAI enables efficient processing and summarization of an organization's proprietary data, generating actionable outputs and further insights (i.e. new data) for its knowledge workers. This improved visibility and leverage to organizational data has the potential to establish a better understanding of what an organization knows and to discover and integrate latent knowledge, leading to, e.g. enhanced KM and better-informed, more consistent, and quicker decisions. However, to reap the potential benefits of GAI, organizations must go beyond the mere adoption of this new digital technology. Organizations should first prepare and transform themselves to enhance their readiness for integrating GAI into their knowledge-related processes and work practices. We argue that KM, both its capability and system views, takes a key role in this transformation. Accordingly, we describe how GAI augments organizational KM capabilities and systems, and how these capabilities and systems act as catalysts for successful GAI use and value creation. In essence, this study outlines the steps for successful KM and GAI integration in organizations and suggests alternative starting points and configurations to achieve it.
Existing research on technology transfer to developing countries has focused predominantly on formal intellectual property regimes, leaving informal appropriability conditions underexplored. Focusing on private-sector engagement in development assistance, we examine how opportunistic intentions among developed-country firms shape the quantity and quality of technology transfers, incorporating second-order knowledge leakage & horbar;whereby transferred knowledge diffuses to unintended third-party firms through recipient networks & horbar;as a novel mechanism. Using an agent-based simulation grounded in the SKIN model, we identify a systematic quantity-quality trade-off: higher opportunistic intention increases partnership formation but reduces tacit knowledge transfer quality. This dynamic is intensified among firms with strong endowment effects, which exhibit sharp trust reductions following leakage events and consequently limit knowledge sharing. Strengthening informal appropriability mechanisms consistently improves tacit knowledge transfer quality, though its effect on partnership formation varies with firms' opportunistic orientation. These findings extend appropriability theory and carry implications for governance mechanisms promoting effective private-led development assistance.
This study investigates the extent to which Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can be captured, processed, curated, managed, and disseminated through Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-enabled Knowledge Management (KM) practices in Zimbabwe. Guided by Nonaka's SECI Knowledge Management model, the research employed a qualitative design comprising a literature review and 21 in-depth interviews. While prior studies explored ICT use in local communities, they largely overlooked KM strategies for Indigenous Knowledge Management (IKM), a gap this study addresses. Findings indicate that ICTs can effectively support the collection, preservation, curation, and intergenerational dissemination of IK when applied within ethically governed, community-driven frameworks grounded in vernacularisa-tion. The study further demonstrates that ICT-enabled IKM systems can ensure the long-term conservation and continuity of Indigenous knowledge. Methodologically, the research con-tributes by integrating naturalistic inquiry and thematic analysis to examine IK systems within their sociocultural contexts.
Public sector organizations are facing increasing pressure to embed sustainability into their strategies, processes, and everyday management, yet research has only begun to explore how knowledge management supports this institutionalization process. This study addresses this gap by examining how senior local government managers understand sustainability as a managerial concern and how they access, interpret, and use sustainability-related knowledge. Drawing on 25 semi-structured interviews with branch and financial directors from Finnish municipalities, and informed by the knowledge-based view and institutional work, the study identifies four arenas - strategy, reporting, capability building, and everyday management practices - in which KM supports the technical, political, and cultural work of institutionalizing sustainability. The findings show how KM enables public officials to interpret sustainability, adapt it to organizational priorities, integrate diverse information streams, and stabilize sustainability through routines, skills, and decision-making practices across administrative domains. The proposed framework contributes to public sector KM theory by conceptualizing KM as a governance mechanism that supports the technical, political, and cultural work of institutionalizing sustainability. Practically, the study highlights how knowledge infrastructures, learning practices, and cross-sectoral collaboration can strengthen the capacity of local governments to advance sustainability in adaptive and integrated ways.
This concept paper aims to identify, describe, and analyze potential situations or circumstances in which organizations may face positive and negative risks related to knowledge due to a variety of internal and external circumstances. Given recent technological, societal and geopolitical developments and their resulting implications, this important but under-researched area deserves more attention. This paper should be understood as a follow-up to the 2019 study by Durst and Zieba, which proposed a Knowledge Risk Taxonomy. The revised and further developed taxonomy risk offers promising approaches not only for research but also for business practice.
Information technology organisations increasingly rely on culturally diverse talent to sustain innovation, yet the mechanisms linking diversity to innovative work behaviour remain unclear. This study investigates the influence of cultural intelligence on innovative work behaviour among information technology professionals, considering the mediating roles of psychological safety, knowledge sharing behaviour, and organisational climate for diversity. Data from 620 employees in the Indian information technology sector were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to test the hypothesised relationships. The findings show that cultural intelligence directly influences innovative work behaviour and indirectly affects it through knowledge sharing behaviour and organisational climate for diversity. Psychological safety showed no direct effect on innovative work behaviour but influenced it indirectly through knowledge sharing behaviour, indicating full mediation. Additionally, a significant sequential serial mediation was observed where cultural intelligence enhances psychological safety, which promotes knowledge sharing behaviour, leading to innovative work behaviour. The study contributes to the literature by introducing organisational climate for diversity as a novel mediator and offers practical insights for creating inclusive and collaborative workplaces that enhance innovation. The findings also support the Sustainable Development Goals related to decent work, economic growth, and industry innovation.
Hypercompetitiveness is the intense desire of an individual to win and outperform others at any cost. The study aims to explore how hypercompetitive tendencies relate to knowledge hiding and how these dynamics unfold through psychological mechanisms and individual differences. The study followed an inductive reasoning approach, analysing the narratives to identify patterns and conceptualize the Theory of Hypercompetitive Knowledge Hiding (THKH). The study follows upon Trait Activation Theory to explain how personality traits interact with situational triggers and internal traits. Data were collected through 45 open-ended written responses submitted via an online form. Qualitative approach was adopted to explore the variables, and Gioia's methodology was used to derive the findings. Findings suggest that hypercompetitiveness leads to knowledge-hiding behaviour. This is influenced by individual traits such as mindset, emotional intelligence, locus of control, and regulated by egocentric selfishness. The core contribution and novelty lie in the identification of three motive typologies for knowledge hiding: performance-driven, opportunistic, and defensive hiding, which differ from the existing models, which only state the types of knowledge hiding. Thus, THKH contributes to the understanding of how contextual and personal factors together shape knowledge-hiding behaviour in the workplace.
The literature shows that cooperation with competitors (i.e. coopetition) is important for firms' innovation output. However, it remains unclear whether and to what extent coopetition influences firms' investments in research and development (R&D). We examine the effect of coopetition on firms' R&D investments, focusing specifically on the tension between knowledge acquisition and misappropriation in coopetition. Drawing on transaction costs theory and a longitudinal dataset of Chinese pharmaceutical firms over a ten-year period (2013-2022), we find a U-shaped relationship between coopetition and firms' R&D investments. Furthermore, the results indicate that the U-shape is significantly steepened by regional intellectual property rights protection but flattened by economic policy uncertainty. Our findings contribute to understanding the effect of coopetition on firms' R&D decisions and demonstrate that the effect can be leveraged by considering the subnational intellectual property rights protection and macroeconomic policies.
Sustainability is transforming how organisations capture, share, and update knowledge related to consumer behaviour in retail environments. Firms require dynamic knowledge management (KM) systems to track preferences for eco-friendly products such as certified organic goods and fully recyclable packaging while aligning operational practices with sustainability objectives. This study develops a continuously adaptive framework that integrates machine learning (ML) methods, including Self-Organising Incremental Neural Networks, Principal Component Analysis, and Variational Autoencoders, with organisational learning and knowledge economy principles. The model identifies evolving consumer segments influenced by affordability, brand credibility, and recyclability, and translates these insights into actionable knowledge for pricing, inventory planning, and communication strategies. Empirical application within sustainable retail demonstrates the framework's ability to anticipate emerging green segments and embed knowledge within decision-making systems. The contribution advances theory by linking knowledge lifecycle processes - creation, sharing, use, and updating - with sustainability-driven retail practice to enhance managerial agility.
The human side of open innovation is receiving increasing scholarly attention. This study examines the role of empowering leadership in facilitating inbound open innovation by considering the mediating mechanisms of employee work engagement and organisational commitment. Data were collected using a probability-based, two-stage sampling design from top- and middle-level managers employed in service and manufacturing firms listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in India. A structured questionnaire was administered through a combination of online and paper-based surveys, yielding a final sample of 159 usable responses. The findings indicate that empowering leadership positively influences employees' work engagement, which in turn enhances inbound open innovation. Organisational commitment emerges as an important antecedent of empowering leadership; however, it does not directly contribute to inbound open innovation, nor does it mediate the relationship between empowering leadership and inbound open innovation. This study contributes to the open innovation and knowledge management literature by elucidating how leadership and employee engagement jointly facilitate knowledge acquisition, sharing, and exploitation across organisational boundaries. Practically, the findings offer actionable insights for managers seeking to cultivate leadership behaviours and engagement practices that promote effective knowledge flows and sustain open innovation performance.
