Differential influences of perceived organizational factors on younger employees' participation in offline and online intergenerational knowledge transfer

Perceived organizational climate has a significant positive influence on offline IGKT, but not on online IGKT.Perceived top management support has a significant positive influence on offline IGKT, but has a negative impact on online IGKT.Perceived organizational institution support has a significant positive influence on online IGKT, but not on offline IGKT.To promote younger employees to seek and use knowledge from older ones via online communication, organizational formal institution is more important.To promote younger employees to seek and use knowledge from older ones via offline communication, developing an organizational environment where younger and older employees can help, respect and trust each other and top managers will encourage and support GKT is more important. Intergenerational supportive climate, top management support, organizational institution are seen as three types of important organizational factors for intergenerational knowledge transfer (IGKT), however, current studies are qualitative with little empirical evidence, further, the interrelations of them are little known. This paper investigates and verifies their relationships by an empirical study, especially focuses on their differential effects on younger employees participation in IGKT using offline versus online communication methods drawing upon social influence theory. A survey with younger doctors was conducted in the medical industry to test the research model proposed in this study. Results show that younger employees perceived intergenerational supportive climate (PISC) has a significant positive influence on offline IGKT, but not on online IGKT; perceived top management support (PTMS) has a significant positive influence on offline IGKT, but has a negative impact on online IGKT; perceived organizational institution support (POIS) has a significant positive influence on online IGKT, but not on offline IGKT. These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding about IGKT, as well as help managers be more effective to enhance younger employees participation in IGKT through offline/online methods, which contribute to offline and online intergenerational knowledge transfer to knowledge management.

[1]  Detmar W. Straub,et al.  Specifying Formative Constructs in Information Systems Research , 2007, MIS Q..

[2]  Jennifer L. L. Coleman,et al.  A Phenomenological Study of the Knowledge Transfer and Succession Planning Experiences of Senior Leaders Retired from the California Community College System , 2013 .

[3]  Laura E. Berk,et al.  Development Through the Lifespan , 1997 .

[4]  Kelly J. Fadel,et al.  Knowledge sourcing from repositories: The role of system characteristics and psychological climate , 2016, Inf. Manag..

[5]  A. Kohn.  Why incentive plans cannot work , 1993 .

[6]  Yung-Fu Chang,et al.  Determinants of knowledge seeking in professional virtual communities , 2014, Behav. Inf. Technol..

[7]  Chieh-Peng Lin.  To Share or Not to Share: Modeling Tacit Knowledge Sharing, Its Mediators and Antecedents , 2007 .

[8]  Lynne C. Lancaster,et al.  When generations collide : who they are, why they clash, how to solve the generational puzzle at work , 2002 .

[9]  Ellen Caroline Martins,et al.  Organisational and Behavioural Factors that Influence Knowledge retention , 2010, J. Knowl. Manag..

[10]  Pamela J. Hinds,et al.  Bothered by abstraction: the effect of expertise on knowledge transfer and subsequent novice performance. , 2001, The Journal of applied psychology.

[11]  A. Burmeister,et al.  Knowledge Retention From Older and Retiring Workers: What Do We Know, and Where Do We Go From Here? , 2016 .

[12]  Daniela Noethen.  Knowledge Transfer in Teams and Its Role for the Prevention of Knowledge Loss , 2011 .

[13]  Jean-Francois Harvey,et al.  Managing organizational memory with intergenerational knowledge transfer , 2012, J. Knowl. Manag..

[14]  Atreyi Kankanhalli,et al.  Understanding seeking from electronic knowledge repositories: An empirical study: Special Topic Section on Knowledge Management in Asia , 2005 .

[15]  Hsiu-Fen Lin.  Knowledge sharing and firm innovation capability: an empirical study , 2007 .

[16]  Birgit Renzl.  Trust in management and knowledge sharing: The mediating effects of fear and knowledge documentation , 2008 .

[17]  Rajiv Sabherwal,et al.  Usability and Sociability in Online Communities: A Comparative Study of Knowledge Seeking and Contribution , 2009, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[18]  Femke de Leeuw van Weenen,et al.  Committed to Share: Commitment and CMC Use as Antecedents of Knowledge Sharing , 2004 .

[19]  Kwok Kee Wei,et al.  What drives continued knowledge sharing? An investigation of knowledge-contribution and -seeking beliefs , 2009, Decis. Support Syst..

[20]  Margaret Mead,et al.  Culture and commitment : a study of the generation gap , 1973 .

[21]  I. Azman,et al.  A study of the correlation between training administration and training motivation , 2013 .

[22]  Lynne P. Cooper,et al.  Knowledge Reuse for Innovation , 2004, Manag. Sci..

[23]  C. Bratianu,et al.  Strategies to enhance intergenerational learning and reducing knowledge loss , 2015 .

[24]  T. Pedersen,et al.  MNC knowledge transfer, subsidiary absorptive capacity, and HRM , 2003 .

[25]  I. Diala,et al.  Knowledge Transfer in a Municipality Study on Baby Boomer Exodus from the Workforce , 2013 .

[26]  Xiaojun Zhang,et al.  Explaining Employee Job Performance: The Role of Online and Offline Workplace Communication Networks , 2013, MIS Q..

[27]  Pedro Soto-Acosta,et al.  Analyzing ICT adoption and use effects on knowledge creation: An empirical investigation in SMEs , 2010, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[28]  Toan Nguyen,et al.  A case analysis of ICT for knowledge transfer in small businesses in Vietnam , 2014, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[29]  Gabriel Szulanski.  Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm , 1996 .

[30]  D. Denison.  What is the Difference Between Organizational Culture and Organizational Climate? A Native's Point of View on a Decade of Paradigm Wars , 1996 .

[31]  Mary Beth Rosson,et al.  Supporting intergenerational groups in computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) , 2007, Behav. Inf. Technol..

[32]  Atreyi Kankanhalli,et al.  Special Issue on: Knowledge Management in Asia Understanding Seeking from Electronic Knowledge Repositories: , 2022 .

[33]  R. Stevens.  Managing Human Capital: How to Use Knowledge Management to Transfer Knowledge in Today’s Multi-Generational Workforce , 2010 .

[34]  Paul H. J. Hendriks,et al.  Why share knowledge? The influence of ICT on the motivation for knowledge sharing , 1999 .

[35]  Soonhee Kim,et al.  The Impact of Organizational Context and Information Technology on Employee Knowledge‐Sharing Capabilities , 2006 .

[36]  Albert H. Segars,et al.  Knowledge Management: An Organizational Capabilities Perspective , 2001, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[37]  Uday R. Kulkarni,et al.  A Knowledge Management Success Model: Theoretical Development and Empirical Validation , 2006, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[38]  Vincenzo Cavaliere,et al.  Knowledge sharing in knowledge-intensive manufacturing firms. An empirical study of its enablers , 2015, J. Knowl. Manag..

[39]  William K. McHenry,et al.  Knowledge Management and Collaboration: Generation X vs. Generation Y , 2013 .

[40]  L. S. Ganesh,et al.  Research on knowledge transfer in organizations: a morphology , 2009, J. Knowl. Manag..

[41]  Narasimha Bolloju,et al.  Explaining the intentions to share and reuse knowledge in the context of IT service operations , 2005, J. Knowl. Manag..

[42]  Atreyi Kankanhalli,et al.  Contributing Knowledge to Electronic Knowledge Repositories: An Empirical Investigation , 2005, MIS Q..

[43]  H. Kelman.  Compliance, identification, and internalization three processes of attitude change , 1958 .

[44]  Chia-Huei Emily Ko,et al.  Organizational and psychological climate: A review of theory and research , 2008 .

[45]  M. Martiny.  Knowledge management at HP consulting , 1998 .

[46]  William J. Haga,et al.  A vertical dyad linkage approach to leadership within formal organizations: A longitudinal investigation of the role making process , 1975 .

[47]  Lisa Abrams,et al.  Using Mentoring and Storytelling to Transfer Knowledge in the Workplace , 2001, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[48]  Christopher D. B. Burt,et al.  Organizational memory and empowerment , 2011, J. Knowl. Manag..

[49]  Shu-Chen Yang,et al.  International Journal of Information Management Social Capital, Behavioural Control, and Tacit Knowledge Sharing—a Multi-informant Design , 2022 .

[50]  Aparna Joshi,et al.  Unpacking Generational Identities in Organizations , 2010 .

[51]  E. J. Wallach.  Individuals and organizations: The cultural match. , 1983 .

[52]  Debby McNichols,et al.  Optimal knowledge transfer methods: a Generation X perspective , 2010, J. Knowl. Manag..

[53]  Yifan Bo,et al.  Factors affecting knowledge transfer from pre-retirees to younger employees , 2014, 2014 11th International Conference on Service Systems and Service Management (ICSSSM).

[54]  David F. Larcker,et al.  Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error: Algebra and Statistics: , 1981 .

[55]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  Behavioral Intention Formation in Knowledge Sharing: Examining the Roles of Extrinsic Motivators, Social-Psychological Factors, and Organizational Climate , 2005, MIS Q..

[56]  Kai H. Lim,et al.  Knowledge reuse through electronic repositories: A study in the context of customer service support , 2011, Inf. Manag..

[57]  Shiu-Wan Hung,et al.  To give or to receive? Factors influencing members' knowledge sharing and community promotion in professional virtual communities , 2010, Inf. Manag..

[58]  Haryani Haron,et al.  A Conceptual Review on Technological Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer , 2014, J. Comput..

[59]  Alan R. Dennis,et al.  Media, Tasks, and Communication Processes: A Theory of Media Synchronicity , 2008, MIS Q..

[60]  Mehran Ebrahimi,et al.  Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer in High-technological Companies: A Comparative Study between Germany and Quebec , 2009 .

[61]  Fred D. Davis,et al.  A Theoretical Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model: Four Longitudinal Field Studies , 2000, Management Science.

[62]  Daniel Z. Levin,et al.  The Strength of Weak Ties You Can Trust: The Mediating Role of Trust in Effective Knowledge Transfer , 2004, Manag. Sci..

[63]  Debby McNichols.  Tacit knowledge: An examination of intergenerational knowledge transfer within an aerospace engineering community , 2008 .

[64]  Kai H. Lim,et al.  Contributing high quantity and quality knowledge to online Q&A communities , 2013, J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol..

[65]  P. A. Weiss.  Knowledge Transfer Preferences of Expert Employees Nearing Retirement , 2016 .

[66]  Meiyun Zuo,et al.  How fundamental and supplemental interactions affect users' knowledge sharing in virtual communities? A social cognitive perspective , 2014, Internet Res..

[67]  Paul A. Pavlou,et al.  Understanding and Mitigating Uncertainty in Online Exchange Relationships: A Principal-Agent Perspective , 2007, MIS Q..

[68]  Atreyi Kankanhalli,et al.  Are norms enough? The role of collaborative norms in promoting organizational knowledge seeking , 2006, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[69]  Angel Cabrera,et al.  Knowledge-Sharing Dilemmas , 2002 .

[70]  Scott B. MacKenzie,et al.  Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. , 2003, The Journal of applied psychology.

[71]  Dennis F. Galletta,et al.  Role of commitment and motivation in knowledge management systems implementation: theory, conceptualization, and measurement of antecedents of success , 2003, 36th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2003. Proceedings of the.

[72]  Melissa R. Peet,et al.  Leadership transitions, knowledge creation and organizational generativity , 2012, J. Knowl. Manag..

[73]  L. G. Pee,et al.  Intrinsically motivating employees' online knowledge sharing: Understanding the effects of job design , 2015, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[74]  David W. DeLong,et al.  Lost knowledge : confronting the threat of an aging workforce , 2004 .

[75]  Christopher Koch,et al.  The interaction between country-level and firm-level corporate governance , 2013 .

[76]  Thanos Papadopoulos,et al.  Exploring the determinants of knowledge sharing via employee weblogs , 2013, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[77]  E. Deci,et al.  Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. , 2000, The American psychologist.