The Effect of System Quality, Knowledge Quality, and Knowledge-Contribution Signals on Members’ Knowledge Contribution and -Seeking Behaviors in Professional Virtual Communities

Abstract

AbstractProfessional virtual communities (PVCs) can serve as knowledge exchange platforms that allow community members to voluntarily contribute and seek knowledge collaboratively. The extant literature suggests that the system design of PVCs may influence community members’ knowledge contribution and knowledge-seeking behaviors. Adopting the information system (IS) success model, and signaling theory as a theoretical lens, we propose and examine the direct effects of the system quality, knowledge quality, and knowledge-contribution signals of PVCs on knowledge-contribution and -seeking behaviors. Empirical data were collected from one PVC in Taiwan through survey questionnaires; 77 participants answered the knowledge contribution questionnaire, and 98 answered the knowledge-seeking questionnaire. The results indicated that knowledge content quality, perceived virtual reward mechanism, perceived public recognition mechanism, and perceived knowledge-rating mechanism have significance for knowledge contribution behavior. Knowledge content quality, perceived virtual reward mechanism, and perceived knowledge-rating mechanism have significance for knowledge-seeking behavior. Collectively, the results highlight the differences in the impact of system artifacts on these key behaviors in PVCs.KeywordsKnowledge contributionKnowledge seekingKnowledge contribution signalsProfessional virtual communitiesSignaling theory