An Exploratory Examination of Knowledge Sharing Behaviors: Voluntary vs. Solicited

Knowledge sharing (KS) has been a central concern in knowledge management (KM) practice and research. However, KS has remained largely a simplistic concept. In this study, we differentiate between solicited KS and voluntary KS, and attempt to examine the role of both types of actual sharing behaviors in relation to: task structure, culture, and knowledge process at work unit level. We found that task structure and knowledge practices facilitate only solicited sharing behaviors, but not voluntary sharing behaviors. In addition, the results indicate that feeling of solidarity and knowledge tools are significantly related to voluntary sharing behaviors. Our results provide preliminary evidence of significant relationship between environmental antecedents and two different forms of KS.