Abstract
Paper aims This research aims to evaluate factors that influence knowledge sharing in automotive production context in Brazil and China. Originality Despite the growing recognition of the factors that enable knowledge sharing in organizations, our understanding about the unique challenges encountered by the blue-collar workers in a production context is rather limited. Also, the paper raises issues and challenges involved for production organizations to engage in cross-national knowledge sharing, which remain relatively under-explored. Research method Drawing on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach, we conduct a comparative survey among the production managers in five automotive plants in China and Brazil. The AHP approach is based on Objective: Promote knowledge sharing among production workers; Criteria of knowledge conversion as Socialization, Externalization, Internalization; and Alternatives as Structure, Communication, Training, Incentive, Standard Operating Procedure, Problem Solving Methodology. The methodology focused on the 3 Brazilian and 2 Chinese automotive plants in our fieldwork. Main findings While many authors argue that socialization (dialogue) is the key form of worker knowledge sharing, our findings indicate that workers and managers perceive internalisation as more important in the automotive context. The significant differences between Chinese and Brazilian workers on the relative importance they attributed to knowledge sharing processes and corresponding enabling factors reinforce our understanding about the challenges of knowledge sharing across cultures and lends support to a more particularistic debate of knowledge management. While automotive workers in Brazil preferred to receive more training and better incentive schemes as essential knowledge sharing support mechanisms, Chinese workers valued more standardization through structure and standard operation procedures. The study reaffirms the role of knowledge sharing in continuous improvement and incremental innovation in shop floor operations. Implications for theory and practice In lieu of the gaps in the extant literature, this research aims to further identify and evaluate factors that influence cross-national knowledge sharing in automotive production contexts. The research addressed the gaps to promote supportive ways to provide employees interaction, best practices and lessons learning sharing.
Highlights
Promoting knowledge sharing has become increasingly important nowadays as organizations aspire to be more adaptable, innovative and sustainable (Lin et al, 2010; Wong & Aspinwall, 2004) and effective knowledge sharing is perceived to have significant influence on team performance (Cummings, 2004; Hansen, 2002), innovation (Arthur & Huntley, 2005; Collins & Smith, 2006), product development and service quality (Lin, 2007; Mesmer-Magnus & DeChurch, 2009)
Prior studies tend to adopt a piecemeal approach by investigating how employee interactions (Zhang & Jiang, 2015), sharing of best practices (Mura et al, 2013), interpersonal relationships (Van den Hooff & De Ridder, 2004) and trust (Cleveland & Ellis, 2015; Fteimi, & Lehner, 2016; Sorensen, 2015) can facilitate knowledge sharing. For filling this conceptual void, Muniz Junior et al (2010a, b) have developed an integrative approach by aligning factors related to work organisation as well as knowledge management together and examining their overall impact on knowledge sharing in production contexts
Findings from our study reaffirm the role of knowledge sharing in continuous improvement and incremental innovation in shop floor operations
Summary
Promoting knowledge sharing has become increasingly important nowadays as organizations aspire to be more adaptable, innovative and sustainable (Lin et al, 2010; Wong & Aspinwall, 2004) and effective knowledge sharing is perceived to have significant influence on team performance (Cummings, 2004; Hansen, 2002), innovation (Arthur & Huntley, 2005; Collins & Smith, 2006), product development and service quality (Lin, 2007; Mesmer-Magnus & DeChurch, 2009). Prior studies tend to adopt a piecemeal approach by investigating how employee interactions (Zhang & Jiang, 2015), sharing of best practices (Mura et al, 2013), interpersonal relationships (Van den Hooff & De Ridder, 2004) and trust (Cleveland & Ellis, 2015; Fteimi, & Lehner, 2016; Sorensen, 2015) can facilitate knowledge sharing For filling this conceptual void, Muniz Junior et al (2010a, b) have developed an integrative approach by aligning factors related to work organisation as well as knowledge management together and examining their overall impact on knowledge sharing in production contexts. The issues and challenges involved for production organizations to engage in cross-national knowledge sharing remain relatively under-explored
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