Knowledge Sharing, Organizational Learning and Service Innovation in Tourism

Yong Rao,Manni Yang,Yuexuan Yang

doi:10.4236/jssm.2018.115035

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is a key factor that influences the organizational learning, service innovation and competitive advantage of tourism enterprises. Despite the fruitful research achievements in knowledge sharing since the 1990s, there is no appropriate framework to effectively summarize existing research literature due to the complexity of the tourism knowledge system. This article, based on the research path of knowledge sharing, summarizes the knowledge sharing research literature in tourism industry according to the framework of “organizational learning - service innovation - competitive advantage”, and analyzes the research results of the relationship between knowledge sharing and organizational learning, knowledge sharing and service innovation as well as knowledge sharing and competitive advantage. On this basis, this article further analyzes the role and function of knowledge sharing in the closed loop of “organizational learning - service innovation - competitive advantage”, with the aim of providing reference for knowledge sharing research in tourism.

Highlights

This paper reviews the studies of knowledge sharing in tourism
This article, based on the research path of knowledge sharing, summarizes the knowledge sharing research literature in tourism industry according to the framework of “organizational learning - service innovation - competitive advantage”, and analyzes the research results of the relationship between knowledge sharing and organizational learning, knowledge sharing and service innovation as well as knowledge sharing and competitive advantage
Based on the prior studies, we built a logical framework of “knowledge sharing organizational learning”, “knowledge sharing - service innovation” and “knowledge sharing - competitive advantage” to sort out the mechanism of knowledge sharing in tourism enterprises

Summary

Introduction

This paper reviews the studies of knowledge sharing in tourism. As an essential part of knowledge management research, knowledge sharing has definitely received much attention in both academia and industry, especially for Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) industry which is heavily reliant on professional knowledge and concerned with providing knowledge-intensive support. Knowledge sharing has gradually been regarded as an important factor that stimulates the innovation and development of tourism industry as well as promotes the service level of hospitality [1] [2]. The majority of the knowledge created in tourism is tacit knowledge as with the theoretical understanding of a subject that is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing it down or verbalizing it. The knowledge creation within tourism industry heavily relies on personal tacit knowledge. If there is no enough stimulation and motivation, the efficiency of personal knowledge sharing would be greatly reduced, which may even result to the invalid knowledge creation. It is necessary for tourism enterprises to involve as the third party so as to moderate the knowledge sharing process, which may further perplex the research problem

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