Multilevel impact of individuals and culture on knowledge sharing in Africa

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is the “raison d’être” of the MNE with the flow of knowledge across various business unit and borders being the lifeblood that drives the performance of an organisation. The frequency of knowledge sharing across business units is characterised by the ability of individuals, how motivated they are and the opportunities they are given to interact with other individuals. Culture is crucial in international business as it shapes business practices and consumer preferences, ensuring successful cross-border interactions. Understanding cultural nuances enables MNEs to build strong and effective global partnerships. Organisational culture in particular fosters an environment of collaboration and open communication, which encourages individuals to share knowledge more frequently. This study and others found that when individuals feel supported within their organisation, they are more likely to actively participate in knowledge sharing. Through an online survey, 478 respondents provided insights into their levels of competence, self-generated motivation and their opportunity set. The resultant multilevel modelling analysis revealed that: (i) individual’s level of ability is significantly positively related to their knowledge sharing frequency with other business units, (ii) the intrinsic motivation of individuals within the firm is positively aligned with knowledge sharing frequency with other business units, (iii) the level of opportunity of individuals within the firm is positively aligned with knowledge sharing frequency with other business units, (iv) the collaborative nature of organisational culture within the firm is positively aligned with knowledge sharing frequency with other business units, (v) the relationship between collaborative national culture and knowledge sharing was not significant (vi) organisational culture was not statistically significant in influencing the relationship between intrinsic motivation and knowledge sharing frequency, (vii) national culture was not statistically significant in influencing the relationship between intrinsic motivation and knowledge sharing frequency, (viii) well-being among individuals within the firm was not statistically significant with knowledge sharing. Key findings are positive correlation between individual ability, intrinsic motivation, opportunity, and organizational culture with knowledge sharing frequency. However, organizational and national culture's influence on intrinsic motivation, and individual well-being showed no significant impact on knowledge sharing.