Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Organizational Trust and Knowledge Sharing

پژوهشنامه کتابداری و اطلاع رسانی

Article 1, Volume 13, Issue 2 - Serial Number 26, December 2023, Pages 5-26   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/infosci.2023.80467.1148

Authors

Hassan Mantegh¹; Fatemh Zandian^{* 2}; Mohammad Hassanzadeh³; Atefeh Sharif⁴

¹Ph.D Student in Information and Knowledge Management, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

²Associate Professor of Knowledge and Information Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

³Professor of Knowledge and information science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

⁴Assistant Professor of Knowledge and Information Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Knowledge sharing is one of the key processes of knowledge management, and its effective implementation plays a significant role in achieving the goals of knowledge management. Many factors affect the knowledge sharing of employees, one of the most important is the trust factor. Trust is one of the important and effective components in any model of organizational knowledge sharing. Based on this, in the present research, an attempt has been made to investigate the relationship between knowledge sharing and organizational trust with a comprehensive approach and using the meta-analysis method.
Methodology: The current research is practical in terms of purpose, which has used the meta-analysis method to determine, collect, combine and summarize the study findings on the subject of the relationship between the variables of knowledge sharing and organizational trust. In this research, first by using the keywords of trust (organizational trust, institutional trust) and those of knowledge sharing (knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer) in databases such as the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc), Tehran University Central Library, MagIran, Jihad Site (SID), and foreign databases such as Emerald, ProQuest, Elsevier and Springer were searched and all articles and theses that investigated the relationship between trust and knowledge sharing were collected. The number of samples reached 72 studies after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and using the purposeful sampling method. The scale of effect size was correlation coefficients and statistical analysis was done with comprehensive meta-analysis software (CMA2).
Findings: The meta-analysis results showed that the effect size in the random effects model for the institutional trust component is equal to .468, for the individual (cognitive- affective) trust component is equal to .428, and for the organizational trust structure is equal to .446, which according to Cohen's criterion (1988) all three obtained combined effect sizes are medium to high effect sizes. Also, examining the role of moderating variables showed that the variable of the "research location" (English and Persian) is one of the factors of the heterogeneity of the effect size. The effect size in the Persian research was equal to .482, which is more than the effect size in English research, which was equal to .401. The Q statistic (between groups) for the variable of "research location" was also obtained at a favorable significance level, which indicated its moderating role on the observed effect size. Also, regarding the role of the "publication type" variable, the significance level for the Q statistic (between groups) was higher than the desired level (p>.05). Therefore, it was concluded that the" type of publication" as a moderating variable has no effect on the observed effect. In other words, although the effect size of .448 obtained in the reviewed articles is more than the effect size of theses, it is not statistically significant and acceptable.
Conclusion: The results of this research showed that the relationship between organizational trust and its components (individual, institutional trust) and knowledge sharing is effective and in terms of the size of their effect, it is medium (upwards). In explaining the results, it can be said that organizational trust plays an important role in knowledge sharing, and a high level of trust in relationships among organizational members makes them more willing to share knowledge with each other and the majority of studies reviewed in this research have reported the trust as an important factor affecting knowledge sharing. Therefore, paying attention to organizational trust and its influencing dimensions on the intention and behavior of knowledge sharing can greatly help to improve the performance of the organization's knowledge management system. Based on this, it is necessary for managers of organizations to improve the knowledge sharing behavior of employees by creating a favorable organizational atmosphere. In this regard, by adopting encouraging and supportive policies, justice and fair treatment, promoting group learning, and forming informal and friendly groups, the institutional and individual trust of employees can be improved.

Keywords

Knowledge sharing; Organizational trust; Institutional trust; Individual trust; Meta-analysis

References

References

Alsharo, M. (2013). Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Teams: The Impact on Trust, Collaboration, and Team Effectiveness. (PhD), Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan. proQuest database.

Bench, S., & Day, T. (2010). The user experience of critical care discharge: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research. International journal of nursing studies, 47(4), 487-499.

Biranvand, A., Golshani, M., Akbarnejad, R., & Rafiee, Z. (2021). The Role of Organizational Trust in the Transfer of Tacit Knowledge (Case Study: Public Libraries of Fars Province). Research on Information Science & Public Libraries, 27(2), 327-358. doi:20.1001.1.26455730.1400.27.2.4.2

Biranvand, A., Rafie, Z., Golshani, M., & Shojaeifard, A. (2022). The Effect of Organizational Trust and Individual Motivation on Tacit Knowledge Transfer of Public Library  Staff. Sciences and Techniques of Information Management, 8(3), 341-364. doi: 10.22091/stim.2021.7182.1

Bock, G. W., & Kim, Y. G. (2002). Breaking the myths of rewards: An exploratory study of attitudes about knowledge sharing. Information Resources Management Journal (IRMJ), 15(2), 14-21. doi:10.4018/irmj.2002040102

Cabrera, A., Collins, W. C., & Salgado, J. F. (2006). Determinants of individual engagement in knowledge sharing. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(2), 245-264.

Curado, C., & Vieira, S. (2019). Trust, knowledge sharing and organizational commitment in SMEs. Personnel Review, 48(6), 1449-1468. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-03-2018-0094

Davenport, T. H., & Prusak, L. (2000). Working knowledge: How organizations manage what they know: Harvard Business Press.

Dawson, R. (2000). Knowledge capabilities as the focus of organisational development and strategy. Journal Of Knowledge Management, 4(4), 320-327.

DeCarolis, D., & Deeds, D. (1999). The impact of stocks and flows of organizational knowledge on firm performance: An empirical investigation of the biotechnology industry. Strategic management journal, 20(10), 953-968.

Ellonen, R., Blomqvist, K., & Puumalainen, K. (2008). The role of trust in organisational innovativeness. European Journal of Innovation Management, 11(2), 160-181.

Ghazi tabatabaei, M., & Vedadhir, A. (2010). Meta-analysis in social & Behavioral Research. tehran: Sociologists.

Gholizdeh, R. H., & Mirkamali, M. (2010). Key factors affecting knowledge sharing

A case study of Ferdowsi University Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology. Iranian Higher Education Association Quarterly, 3(1), 61-78.

Grant, R. M. (1996). Prospering in dynamically-competitive environments: Organizational capability as knowledge integration. Organization science, 7(4), 375-387.

Hashim, K. F., & Tan, F. B. (2015). The mediating role of trust and commitment on members’ continuous knowledge sharing intention: A commitment-trust theory perspective. International Journal of Information Management, 35(2), 145-151. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.11.001

Higgins, J. P., & Thompson, S. G. (2002). Quantifying heterogeneity in a meta -analysis. Statistics in medicine, 21(11), 1539-1558.

Hooman, H. A. (2008). Handbook on meta-analysis in scientific Research. tehran: Organization for Studying and Compiling Humanities Books of Universities (samet)

Huber, G. (2001). Transfer of knowledge in knowledge management systems: unexplored issues and suggested studies. European Journal of Information Systems, 10(2), 72-79.

Ipe, M. (2003). Knowledge sharing in organizations: A conceptual framework. Human resource development review, 2(4), 337-359.

Jarvenpaa, S., Shaw, T., & Staples, D. S. (2004). Toward contextualized theories of trust: The role of trust in global virtual teams. Information systems research, 15(3), 250-267. doi:https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1040.0028

Javadpour, A., & Samiei, S. (2017). Motivation and barriers to participation in virtual knowledge-sharing communities of practice. Management Science Letters, 7(2), 81-86.

khanifar, H., & Moslemi, N. (2017). Fundamentals Qualitative Research Mehtods (Vol. 1 ,New and Practical Approach). Tehran: The look of knowledge.

Kim, S., & Lee, H. (2006). The impact of organizational context and information technology on employee knowledge‐sharing capabilities. Public administration review, 66(3), 370-385.

Kmieciak, R. (2020). Trust, knowledge sharing, and innovative work behavior: empirical evidence from Poland. European Journal of Innovation Management, 24(5), 1832-1859. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-04-2020-0134

Lichtenthaler, U., & Ernst, H. (2006). Attitudes to externally organising knowledge management tasks: a review, reconsideration and extension of the NIH syndrome. R&D Management, 36(4), 367-386.

Lin, H. F. (2007). Knowledge sharing and firm innovation capability: an empirical study. International Journal of manpower.

Luzar, m., & Zoran, A. G. (2020). Trust and knowledge sharing of Employees in organizations. Journal of Universal Excellence, 9(3), 211-224. doi:10.37886/ruo.2020.013

Markus, L. M. (2001). Toward a theory of knowledge reuse: Types of knowledge reuse situations and factors in reuse success. Journal of management information systems, 18(1), 57-93. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2001.11045671

Masrabadi, J., & Ashrafzadeh, T. (2021). Meta-analysis of the relationship between epistemological beliefs and academic performance. Biquarterly Journal of Cognitive Strategies in learing, 9(17), 71-90.

Matsuo, M., & Easterby-Smith, M. (2008). Beyond the knowledge sharing dilemma: The role of customisation. Journal Of Knowledge Management, 12(4), 30-43. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/13673270810884237

Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of management review, 20(3), 709-734.

Mohammadi Fateh, A., Sharafinejad, N., & Dehban, E. (2014). knowledge management cycle in organization. tehran: Mehraban book.

Montazer Atei, M., Karimi Monaghi, H., Ghavidel, M., & Grivani, A. (2021). Meta-analysis of factors affecting nurses' workload. Medical Journal of Mashhad, University of Medical Science, 64(4), 3684-3698. doi:10.22038/mjms.2021.19568

Muneer, S., Iqbal, S. M. J., Saif-Ur-Rehman, K., & Long, C. S. (2014). An incorporated structure of perceived organizational support, knowledge-sharing behavior, organizational trust and organizational commitment: A strategic knowledge management approach. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 8(1), 42-57. doi:http://hdl.handle.net/10419/188125.

Niazi, M., Motevalian, S., razeghi, H., & farhadian, A. (2020). Meta-analysis of the research done on the relationship between cultural capital and social identity. National studies, 21(2), 135-156. doi:https://doi.org/10.22034/rjnsq.2020.109400

Niazi, M., Yaghoubi , N., Sakhaei, A., & Hosseinizadeh Arani, S. (2018). Meta-analysis of the Effect of Social Capital on Mental Health. Social and cultural strategy, 6(4), 141-176. doi:20.1001.1.22517081.1396.6.4.5.3

Noghani dokht bahmani, M., & mirmohammad tabar, A. (2016). Meta-analysis (Basics and Application) use of CMA.2 Software. Mashhad: Mashhad Ferdowsi University.

Nonaka, I. (1991). Modlels of knowledge management in the West and Japan.

Oldenkamp, J. H. (2001). Succesvol Overdragen van Kennis (successful knowledge transfer). Lemma BV, Utrecht, Netherlands.

Philly, A., Thabet, A., Rastgarfar, B., & Alipour, S. (2020). Providing a causal model of organizational factors affecting knowledge sharing; A study in the National Company of South Oil-rich Regions. 11(42), 61-92.

Powell, A., Piccoli, G., & Ives, B. (2004). Virtual teams: a review of current literature and directions for future research. ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, 35(1), 6-36. doi:https://doi.org/10.1145/968464.968467

Qadmpur, E., & Zandkrimi, M. (2018). Investigating the relationship between organizational communication and knowledge sharing with the mediating role of trust An organization among school teachers. Quarterly Journal of Library Studies and Information Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, 10(3), 103-128.

Rafique, G. M., & Mahmood, K. (2018). Relationship between knowledge sharing and job satisfaction: a systematic review. Information and Learning Science, 119(5/6), 295-312. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-03-2018-0019

Reagans, R., & McEvily, B. (2003). Network structure and knowledge transfer: The effects of cohesion and range. Administrative science quarterly, 48(2), 240-267.

Refaeilzadeh, P., Tang, L., & Liu, H. (2009). Cross-validation. Encyclopedia of database systems, 5, 532-538.

Rehman, M., Mahmood, A. K., Salleh, R., & Amin, A. (2014). Job satisfaction and knowledge sharing among computer and information science faculty members: A case of Malaysian universities. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, 7(4), 839-848.

Shua, S., & Niazi, M. (2016). A meta-analysis on the relationship between cultural capital and body management. Iranian Cultural Research Quarterly, 9(1), 61-81.

Shujaei, H., & Kamalvand, H. (2019). Meta-analysis of the relationship between political socialization and its dimensions with political participation. Scientific research journal in humanities and interdisciplinary research, 2(16), 161-188.

Sterne, J. A. C., Becker, B. J., & Egger, M. (2005). The funnel plot. in publication bias in metaanalysis: prevention, assessment and adjustment. (H. R. Rothstein, A. J. sutton, & M. Borenstein Eds.). West Sussex: wiley.

Sveiby, K. E. (2001). A knowledge based theory of the firm to guide in strategy formulation. Journal of intellectual capital, 2(4), 344-358.

Szulanski, G. (2001). Knowledge Creation: A Source of Value (Book Review). Academy of management review, 26(2), 318-320.

Tajfar, A., Houshmand, H., & Mirzaei Vani, S. (2019). Knowledge management in practice (systems and processes). Tehran: Veena.

Wang, S., & Noe, R. (2010). Knowledge sharing: A review and directions for future research. Human resource management review, 20(2), 115-131.

Weggeman, M. C. D. P. (2000). Kennismanagement: de praktijk: Scriptum Management.

Yuan, H., & Ma, D. (2022). Gender differences in the relationship between interpersonal trust and innovative behavior: the mediating effects of affective organizational commitment and knowledge-sharing. Behavioral Sciences, 12(5), 145. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12050145

Zaheer, A., McEvily, B., & Perrone, V. (1998). Does trust matter? Exploring the effects of interorganizational and interpersonal trust on performance. Organization science, 9(2), 141-159. doi:https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.9.2.141

Zboralski, K. (2009). Antecedents of knowledge sharing in communities of practice. Journal Of Knowledge Management, 13(3), 90-0101. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/13673270910962897

Ziyae, B., Rezvani, M., & Ahmadian, Y. (2021). Investigating the Factors affecting knowledge transfer and its impact on innovation performance of international strategic alliances of pharmaceutical SMEs. Journal of Entrepreneurship Development, 13(14), 601-619. doi:10.22059/JED.2021.307469.653430