The relationship between personal cognition, social context, and knowledge sharing in global communities of practice

Kim, Eunjee

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/14856 Copy

Description

Title

The relationship between personal cognition, social context, and knowledge sharing in global communities of practice

Author(s)

Kim, Eunjee

Issue Date

2010-01-28T21:19:10Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Johnson, Scott D.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Johnson, Scott D.

Committee Member(s)

• Kuchinke, K. Peter
• Klein, Andreas G.
• Flesher, Jeffrey W.

Department of Study

Human Resource Education

Discipline

Human Resource Education

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• communities of practice
• Knowledge sharing

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the structural pathways of personal cognition and social context as they influence knowledge sharing behaviors in communities of practice. Based on the existing literature, ten hypotheses and a conceptual model built on the basis of the social cognitive theory were developed regarding the interrelationships of the five constructs: self-efficacy for knowledge sharing, outcome expectations, sense of community, leadership of a community, and knowledge sharing. The data were collected through an online questionnaire from the employees who have participated in communities of practice in a Fortune 100 corporation. A total of 438 usable questionnaires were collected. Overall, three analyses were conducted in order to prove the given hypotheses: (a) hypothesized measurement model fit, (b) relational and influential associations among the constructs, and (c) structural equation model analysis (SEM). In addition, open-ended responses were analyzed. The results presented that (a) hypothesized measurement models were valid and reliable, (b) personal cognitive factors, self-efficacy and outcome expectations for knowledge sharing, were found to be significant predictors of community members’ sense of community and knowledge sharing behaviors, (c) sense of community had the most significant impact on the knowledge sharing, (d) as the perceived social context, sense of community mediated the effects of personal cognition on knowledge sharing behaviors, and (e) personal cognition and social context jointly contributed to knowledge sharing. In brief, all of the hypotheses were positively supported. A conclusive summary is provided along with contributive discussion. Implications and contributions to HRD researchers and practitioners are discussed, and recommendations are provided.

Graduation Semester

2009-12

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/14856

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2009 Eunjee Kim

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