Predicting Knowledge Sharing Intentions in the Public Sector: Comparing TAM with TPB

Abstract

Knowledge sharing has been identified as a critical activity in any knowledge management initiative. This study aims to provide an understanding of public employees’ intention to share knowledge using knowledge management system by adopting existing intention-based models, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). The original TPB, modified TPB, original TAM, and modified TAM were empirically examined and compared using employee data collected from five public organizations. The structural equation modeling results revealed that all four models performed well in terms of fit and were roughly equivalent in terms of their ability to predict intention. The authors offer several implications based on the findings.