Knowledge Sharing and National Culture: A Comparison Between China and Russia

Much of the knowledge management literature tends to assume a rather universalist understanding of knowledge sharing. Yet, attitudes to knowledge sharing as well as actual knowledge-sharing behaviour depend on conditions that vary across institutional and cultural environments. This paper contributes to the knowledge-sharing literature by specifically discussing the interplay between knowledge-sharing and national cultural factors in the context of transition countries. The paper engages in a comparative examination of two major transition societies, China and Russia, and contributes to understanding the complexity of differences between transition economies. The paper is written as a set of theoretical arguments and propositions that is designed to elucidate more nuanced ways of thinking about knowledge sharing in China and Russia. We argue that in the case of China and Russia, vertical individualism and particularist social relations facilitate knowledge sharing. We also maintain that there are important differences between China and Russia in terms of motivation for knowledge sharing and propose that the differences between the two countries in terms of origins of collectivism and degree of collectivism impact on knowledge sharing in organisations in these two countries. Research and management implications are also outlined.