TACIT KNOWLEDGE AWARENESS AND SHARING INFLUENCE ON INNOVATION

Wioleta Kucharska and G. Scott Erickson ()
Additional contact information
G. Scott Erickson: Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY, USA

No 63, GUT FME Working Paper Series A from Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdansk University of Technology

Abstract: This study measures the relationship between tacit knowledge and innovation in the Polish and US information technology (IT) industries. Large samples were obtained, allowing quantitative modeling not possible in many tacit knowledge studies focused on more qualitative analysis. Conceptually, the study identifies the potential sources of tacit knowledge (learning-by-doing and/or learning-by-interaction), individual tacit knowledge development leading to a willingness to share, and the consequent correlation to process and/or product/service innovation. The important role of critical thinking as a control variable in tacit knowledge development in individuals is also identified as is the connection of process innovation as a mediator between tacit knowledge sharing and product/service innovation. The model is supported across both samples though with interesting differences across countries, particularly in sources of tacit knowledge (more learn-by-doing in the US), the link between awareness and sharing (stronger in US), and innovation (process as a full mediator in Poland, complementary in the US). The main theoretical contribution is empirical support for tacit knowledge's role in innovation, including the step-by-step details of how everything connects as well as details on how the model can differ by national context. The managerial implications include the care that must be taken to evaluate national circumstances and their potential impact on a firm's management of tacit knowledge.

Keywords: Tacit knowledge; knowledge awareness; knowledge sharing; innovation; IT industry; Poland; USA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-ict, nep-knm and nep-sbm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://cdn.files.pg.edu.pl/zie/Strona%20polska/Na ... charska_Erickson.pdf First version, 2021 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gdk:wpaper:63

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in GUT FME Working Paper Series A from Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdansk University of Technology Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wojciech Drapinski ().