The Influence of National Culture on Knowledge Sharing
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Date
2011-04
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The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
Abstract
This dissertation examines the influence of National Culture (NC) on Knowledge Sharing (KS) within the context of global projects in the banking industry. A structured online survey method was utilized to investigate NC and NS. The NC section includes Time, Context, Power Distance, Gender Egalitarianism, Humane Orientation, Uncertainty Avoidance and Individualism-Collectivism. For NS seven dimensions are examined including Intention, Subjective Norms, Extrinsic Motivation, Knowledge Ownership, Social Network, Mode of Communication and Perceived the Usefulness of the Technology.
The sample for this dissertation includes four nationalities namely: Arab, Indian, Pakistani and Philipino. Pearson chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis Tests are employed to investigate the differences in KS ratings. Relationships between KS variables and NC variables are inspected using Spearman's rho correlations. Extrinsic Motivation and Knowledge Ownership rated higher in the Arab sample in comparison to Indian, Pakistani and Philipino. Principal Component Factor Analysis found that the seven KS variables loaded onto three factors namely: “KS factors”, “Knowledge Ownership and Communication” and “Extrinsic Motivation”. In addition, logistic regressions yielded interesting results such as Context and Power Distance are significant predictors of Knowledge Ownership. Context also is found to be a significant predictor for Extrinsic Motivation. Nevertheless, further research is recommended to study other NC variables such as language and ethnicity and KS factors that this dissertation did not address, including trust, anticipated reciprocal relationships and organizational culture. Both theoretical and practical recommendations are presented to minimize cultural differences in global projects environment and to enhance knowledge sharing practices.
Description
DISSERTATION WITH DISTINCTION
Keywords
national culture, knowledge sharing, global projects, management, Arab, Indian, Pakistani, Philipino