Knowledge Seeking Behavior Research Articles

Seeking for better performance: a synergy effect of algorithmic and leader management transparency on employee knowledge seeking behaviour and performance in China

ABSTRACT Existing research has revealed the mixed effects of algorithmic management transparency. By differentiating the source of transparency, we aim to understand when and how algorithmic management transparency translates into gig workers’ performance. Drawing upon the proactive motivation model, we propose that the effects of algorithmic management transparency hinge on leader management transparency to influence gig workers’ motivational states, which promote their knowledge seeking and performance. Based on multi – source and time – lagged data from 219 gig workers in China, the model was supported. We highlight the synergistic effect of algorithmic and leader management transparency on facilitating gig workers’ proactivity to improve performance.

Unveiling the nexus! Understanding knowledge issues, animal contact patterns and interaction of health care providers in the context of monkeypox and COVID-19 during monkeypox outbreak 2022

Background A monkeypox (MPOX) outbreak occurred in May 2022. On June 3, 2022, the WHO Blueprint organized a consultation on MPOX research knowledge gaps and priority research questions because the engagement of health care providers (HCPs) in providing accurate information and the public's motivation to adapt protective behaviour were crucial. Thus, we conducted this study to explore the knowledge issues, animal patterns, and interactions of HCPs in the context of MPOX and COVID-19 during the MPOX outbreak. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional web-based survey among 816 HCPs working in governmental health facilities from many countries, mainly Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Cameroon, in September 2022. Results Four hundred and sixty (56.37%) were aged between 18 and less than 35 years old. About 34.44% were physicians, while only 37.25% worked on the frontlines with patients. 37.99% and 5.88% received vaccinations against chickenpox and MPOX, respectively. In the meantime, 55.39% had taken courses or training programmes regarding COVID-19. Regarding knowledge-seeking behaviours (KSBs) about COVID-19, 38.73% were through passive attention, while only 28.8% got their information through active search. Most of the participants (56.86%) had a moderate level of knowledge regarding COVID-19. Only 8.82% had courses or training programmes regarding MPOX. Regarding KSB about MPOX, 50.86% were obtained through passive attention, while only 18.01% and 23.04% got their information through active and passive search, respectively. Most of the participants (57.60%) had a poor level of knowledge regarding MPOX. The regression analysis of the MPOX knowledge score revealed that individuals working on the frontlines with patients and those who had training programmes or courses were shown to have a higher score by 1.25 and 3.18 points, respectively. Conclusions The studied HCPs had poorer knowledge about the MPOX virus than they did about the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Training programmes and education courses had an impact on their knowledge.

Commitment-based human resource practices, job satisfaction and proactive knowledge-seeking behavior: The moderating role of organizational identification

PurposeBased on social exchange theory and social identification theory, I investigated how employee organizational identification affects the effectiveness of commitment-based human resource (HR) practices. I focused on employee attitudes (job satisfaction) and behaviors (proactive knowledge seeking) as HR practices’ outcomes.Design/methodology/approachUsing a structural equation modeling analytical approach, I tested the hypotheses with data from a web-based cross-sectional survey of 208 specialists and engineers of manufacturing subsidiaries in Poland.FindingsResults showed that the positive relationship between commitment-based-HR practices and job satisfaction is weakened for employees strongly identified with the organization. Simultaneously, the connection between seeking knowledge and job satisfaction is stronger and more important for people who identify moderately to strongly.Research limitations/implicationsThe study limitations regard mainly its cross-sectional design and single cultural and industrial context.Practical implicationsFrom the managerial perspective, the study suggests that to enhance proactive employee behavior, companies need to increase employee organizational identification and ensure that employees have a positive perception of the implemented HR practices.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the ongoing discussion on whether individual contingencies affect the effectiveness of commitment-based HR practices in the form of individual attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. The findings revealed that the contingent effect of organizational identification depends on the type of individual outcomes, suggesting that the strength of organizational identification affects how employees decide to reciprocate the organization’s attention and investment.

Nutrition and Dietetics Professionals Sustainable Food Systems Knowledge Seeking Behaviour

ABSTRACT Sustainable food system (SFS) competence is a new and recognized knowledge area for nutrition and dietetics professionals (NDP). This research seeks to describe the SFS knowledge seeking behavior of NDP. Secondary data analysis of 231 anonymous self-assessments collected between September 2020 to December 2021 indicate a high proportion (41%) of self-assessed “beginners” in this topic at a mixture of career stages. There was a preference for learning about topics that already have significant public attention globally. More advanced practitioners sought more applied information. These results are informative for updating education and professional development tools for NDP.

Are You So Good That They Cannot Ignore You? Effect of Coworker Support on Knowledge Sharing Through an Affective Events Theory Perspective

Drawing on affective events theory, this study considers knowledge sharing as an outcome of emotional responses resulting from an individual’s experience of workplace events. This study aimed to empirically examine how coworker support as a work event encourages employees’ knowledge contribution and knowledge-seeking behaviors through feelings of vitality. A structured, questionnaire-based survey was administered to 430 employees of knowledge-based organizations in India. The retrieved data were further analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that perceived coworker support positively influences the knowledge contribution and knowledge-seeking behavior of individuals in the workplace. Furthermore, vitality mediated the positive association between perceived coworker support and knowledge sharing. This implies that the perception of coworker support in the workplace augments employees’ feelings of vitality, which further motivates them to contribute to and seek knowledge from coworkers. Therefore, this study critically underscores the existence of a “performance loop” in knowledge sharing, as coworkers find it difficult to bypass an employee because of their outstanding performance and the fact that the same virtuous cycle elicits greater knowledge sharing by coworkers. Such perceived goodwill makes employees so good that they cannot be ignored within an organizational setting. This is a pioneering study investigating how coworker support in the workplace stimulates knowledge sharing among employees by considering the mediating effect of feelings of vitality. This study also contributes to the positive psychology and knowledge management literature by revealing the implications of vitality for extra-role behaviors such as knowledge sharing.

PERCEIVED KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND BEHAVIOR OF PARENTS/CAREGIVERS TOWARDS ROUTINE IMMUNIZATION IN DISTRICT PISHIN, BALOCHISTAN PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Abstract Background: This study evaluates the perception, attitude, and behavior of parents/caregivers towards the vaccination of their child. vaccination is the greatest impactful steps, determining the real goal for public health. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the sample of 403 Parents/caregivers of children aged under 5 years by using a two-stage random sampling technique in the period between February to March 2022 in district Pishin of Baluchistan, Pakistan. Results: Community health workers were used to administer the questionnaire to parents or caregivers, to seek information about 1) Socio-demographic characteristics 2) knowledge regarding vaccines and their types; 3) behavior regarding the administration of vaccination. The knowledge regarding vaccine-preventable diseases was higher in parents who attend higher levels of education. HCPs were the primary source of information and the majority of sources are verbal. Parents/caregivers show a positive attitude toward vaccines and 59% are aware of vaccine importance and 39% are aware of childhood diseases with their names. Conclusion: The positive attitude was significantly higher in those who considered vaccines boost immunity and protect against diseases. Greater attention from policymakers and healthcare providers is needed to increase the knowledge-seeking behavior of parents/caregivers on recommended vaccines and their importance on timeliness and completion to increase immunization coverage. Keywords: Vaccine-preventable diseases, Immunization, Childhood

Assessing the effectiveness of a sexual and reproductive health and rights training programme in changing healthcare practitioners’ attitudes and practices in low-income countries

ABSTRACT Introduction In low-income countries the utilisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services is influenced by healthcare practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices. Despite awareness of the potential problems due to ingrained biases and prejudices, few approaches have been effective in changing practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning SRHR in low-income countries. Objectives 1) To assess whether participating in an SRHR international training programme (ITP) changed healthcare practitioners’ SRHR knowledge, SRHR attitudes and SRHR practices and 2) examine associations between trainees’ characteristics, their SRHR work environment and transfer of training. Methods A pre- and post-intervention study, involving 107 trainees from ten low-income countries, was conducted between 2017 and 2018. Paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test were used to assess differences between trainees’ pre- and post-training scores in self-rated SRHR knowledge, attitudes, knowledge seeking behaviour and practices. Linear regression models were used to examine association between trainees’ baseline characteristics and post-training attitudes and practices. Results Trainees’ self-rated scores for SRHR knowledge, attitudes and practices showed statistically significant improvement. Baseline high SRHR knowledge was positively associated with improvements in attitudes but not practices. High increases in scores on knowledge seeking behaviour were associated with higher practice scores. No statistically significant associations were found between scores that measured changes in SRHR knowledge, attitudes and practices. Conclusion The findings indicate that the ITP was effective in improving trainees’ self-rated scores for SRHR knowledge, attitudes and behaviours (practices). The strongest association was found between improvement in SRHR knowledge seeking behaviour and the improvement in SRHR practices. This suggests that behaviour intention may have a central role in promoting fair open-minded SRHR practices among healthcare practitioners in low-income countries.

Food choice and the epistemic value of the consumption of recommender systems: the case of Yuka’s perceived value in France

ABSTRACT Food Recommender Systems (RecSys) are innovative knowledge systems that inform consumers of food choices according to criteria, including nutritional content, health concerns, production method, carbon footprint or other social and ethical considerations. They raise important questions at the intersection of technology accuracy and today evolving consumers’ knowledge seeking behaviours, which implies to unpack the epistemic value of food RecSys. This study investigates the drivers of the perceived value of food RSs consumption by proposing a model that establishes via PLS-SEM (n = 253) a positive relationship between the Yuka company’s food RecSys’ epistemic value and its perceived value. The model demonstrates that Yuka RecSys’ epistemic value relies on the disciplinary drivers of compatibility, self-confidence, and consumer innovativeness, and the problematising drivers of memory and learning, which come from using the application. The perceived value of food RecSys is found to relate to RecSys epistemic value beyond the functional accuracy aspects of recommendation algorithms. Results highlight the importance of developing a refined understanding of epistemic value considering the consumption of RecSys. RecSys’ developers, retailers, food manufacturers and policy makers must work on better mapping and adjusting information through consumers socialised RecSys’ usage to shape the design of the next generation RecSys.

Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework.

On-farm biosecurity is an essential component of successful disease management in the beef cattle industry on an individual, regional, and national level. Participation in mandatory or voluntary assurance schemes, knowledge and trusted relationships have all been demonstrated to contribute to the development of behaviors that promote biosecurity. However, compliance with rules, socio-psychological relationships and knowledge-seeking behavior are all contingent upon the motivations and beliefs of the individual. It is widely accepted that the motivations and beliefs of all cultures can be defined by ten basic values (Self-direction, Stimulation, Hedonism, Achievement, Power, Security, Conformity, Tradition, Benevolence and Universalism). In this study, we use the ten basic values to characterize the on-farm biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef farmers to facilitate the identification of interventions that are most likely to align with producer motivations and therefore, more likely to result in wider adoption of effective on-farm biosecurity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Australian beef farmers to discuss the reasons behind decisions to alter or implement biosecurity practices in response to endemic diseases. Thematic analysis was used to identify the motivations, opportunities, and capability of biosecurity behaviors. The ten basic human values were used to characterize these behaviors and inform enablers and barriers to biosecurity adoption. Benevolence and Self-direction, relating to self-transcendence and an openness to change, were the principal values associated with good biosecurity behaviors. This suggests that farmers will be receptive to education strategies that communicate the actual risk of disease in their area, the impact of disease on animal welfare, and the ability for on-farm biosecurity to mitigate these impacts. Farmers also expressed values of Security which entrenched behaviors as common practice; however, in some cases the Security of trusted relationships was identified as a potential barrier to behavior change. Overall, values associated with biosecurity behaviors were found to align with values that are most important for social cohesion, suggesting that collaborative disease efforts between industry stakeholders and farmers are likely to succeed if designed with these values in mind.

Where do psychologists turn to inform clinical decisions? Audience segmentation to guide dissemination strategies.

Audience segmentation is an analysis technique that can identify meaningful subgroups within a population to inform the tailoring of dissemination strategies. We have conducted an empirical clustering audience segmentation study of licensed psychologists using survey data about the sources of knowledge they report most often consulting to guide their clinical decision-making. We identify meaningful subgroups within the population and inform the tailoring of dissemination strategies for evidence-based practice (EBP) materials. Data come from a 2018-2019 web-based survey of licensed psychologists who were members of the American Psychological Association (APA; N = 518, response rate = 29.8%). Ten dichotomous variables assessed sources that psychologists regularly consult to inform clinical decision-making (e.g., colleagues, academic literature, and practice guidelines). We used latent class analysis to identify segments of psychologists who turn to similar sources and named each segment based on the segment's most salient characteristics. Four audience segments were identified: the No-guidelines (45% of psychologists), Research-driven (16%), Thirsty-for-knowledge (9%), and No-reviews (30%). The four segments differed not only in their preferred sources of knowledge, but also in the types of evidence-based posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments they provide, their awareness and usage intention of the APA PTSD clinical practice guideline, and attitudes toward clinical practice guidelines. The results demonstrate that licensed psychologists are heterogeneous in terms of their knowledge-seeking behaviors and preferences for knowledge sources. The distinctive characteristics of these segments could guide the tailoring of dissemination materials and strategies to subsequently enhance the implementation of EBP among psychologists.

Too much to know? The cognitive demands of daily knowledge seeking and the buffering role of coworker contact quality.

To get their work done and achieve their daily work-related goals, employees seek knowledge from their coworkers. While the benefits of knowledge seeking have been established in the literature, we have yet to understand the potential downsides of daily knowledge seeking. We adopt a cognitive perspective to carve out the negative effect of daily knowledge seeking, while controlling for its established positive effect via perceived learning. Based on cognitive load theory, we argue that daily knowledge seeking produces intrinsic cognitive load that can hinder daily goal attainment through the experience of knowledge overload and subsequent resource depletion. However, the relational context in which knowledge seekers interact with knowledge sources represents an important contextual boundary condition. Coworker contact quality can mitigate the effect of knowledge seeking on knowledge overload because high coworker contact quality reduces extraneous (i.e., ineffective) and increases germane (i.e., productive) cognitive load that knowledge seekers experience when navigating the social interaction with knowledge sources. Under this condition, cognitive capacity is freed up and knowledge overload is less likely to occur. Based on an experience sampling study in which we collected data across 10 working days from 189 German employees, we found support for our hypotheses. An employee's knowledge seeking had a negative indirect effect on goal attainment via knowledge overload and subsequent resource depletion, however, the downsides of daily knowledge seeking became less pronounced when coworker contact quality increased. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on knowledge seeking and resource exchange behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

From knowledge seeking to knowledge contribution: A social capital perspective on knowledge sharing behaviors in online Q&A communities

Previous research has examined knowledge seeking behaviors and knowledge contribution behaviors in online communities, but it is not clear what is the relationship between knowledge seeking and knowledge contribution, leading to a question on what drives knowledge sharing in online communities. Drawing on the social capital theory, this study proposes that knowledge seeking behaviors lead to knowledge contribution behaviors through online users' social capital which is accumulated as a result of knowledge seeking. Based on the data on >1000 online users' knowledge sharing activities in the Zhihu Community in China, this study provides empirical support for the proposed model and the result show that online community users' knowledge seeking behaviors have a positive impact on their social capital, which is further positively related to their knowledge contribution behaviors – a partially mediated process. This study enriches current research on knowledge sharing in the increasingly digitalized society, and the findings provide important insights on knowledge sharing activities that will help manage knowledge exchange more effectively in online communities.

Knowledge, Control Practices and Treatment Seeking Behaviour Regarding Malaria Among Students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Morogoro Urban District, Eastern Tanzania

Knowledge, Control Practices and Treatment Seeking Behaviour Regarding Malaria Among Students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Morogoro Urban District, Eastern Tanzania

Impact of Gamification on Knowledge Sharing _ The Mediating Role of Self-Determination

With the development of social Q&A communities, many communities were facing the dilemma of user loss and insufficient knowledge sharing. Gamification was a design paradigm that promoted user knowledge sharing, and its promotion mechanism was also worth studying. Taking Zhihu as an example, based on discussing the relationship between gamification and knowledge sharing, which included knowledge-seeking and knowledge-contribution, this paper further discusses the mediating role of self-determination in the relationship between them. The research used hierarchical regression as the research method. The results of this research demonstrated that the interaction of gamification traits (immersion, fulfillment, and socially relevant traits) has a significant positive effect on self-determination. All have significant positive effects on knowledge-seeking behavior and knowledge-contribution behavior. Self-determination has a significant positive impact on knowledge-seeking behavior and knowledge-contribution behavior. Self-determination was fully mediated between immersion-related gamification, social-related gamification, achievement-related gamification, and knowledge-seeking behavior. Self-determination was partially mediated between immersion-related gamification, social-related gamification, achievement-related gamification, and knowledge-contribution behavior. The research presented that was a new research model to explore the effect of gamification on knowledge sharing. In addition, there also demonstrated that improving the game level of the knowledge-sharing platform was an effective way to improve knowledge-seeking behavior and knowledge-contribution behavior.

Why do users continually seek knowledge in online Q&A communities? An empirical investigation

PurposeOnline Q&A communities have been widely highlighted as an important knowledge exchange market. Although motivations for users’ initial knowledge-seeking behavior have been widely investigated, the factors that affect online Q&A users’ continued knowledge-seeking behavior are still vague. This study aims to investigate the factors that affect users continuously seeking knowledge from online social Q&A communities.Design/methodology/approachBased on social information processing theory, social capital theory, social exchange theory and social cognitive theory, this study used a negative binomial regression model to explore what would affect people’s continued knowledge-seeking behavior. Empirical data was collected from a popular Chinese online social Q&A community.FindingsThe results indicate that while previous knowledge sharing behavior, peer responses for previous seeking behavior, identity-based trust have a positive impact on knowledge-seeking behaviors, social exposure has a negative impact. In addition, self-presentation negatively moderates the relationship between social exposure and knowledge-seeking behavior.Originality/valueThis study contributed to the theoretical basis for knowledge-seeking behavior in online Q&A communities. The research findings can be used to derive guidelines for the development and operation of online social Q&A communities.

Knowledge sharing among hotel workers in Dubai, UAE

This paper explores knowledge sharing practices among hotel workers in Dubai. Results from a survey administered to 853 employees in five hotels suggested that there was little desire or initiative by employees to share knowledge, in contrast with most literature. Workers may use more knowledge seeking behavior. Support for this assertion stems from the distinctive composition of hotel workforces in Dubai, workers’ employment circumstances, and their attitudes and motivation. Results suggest that employee performance might be enhanced if managers provide systems that support and encourage informal knowledge seeking in the workplace.

Exploring learner interest in relation to humanistic language teaching materials: A case from Vietnam

The study investigated the construct of learner interest in relation to humanistic activities, compared to textbook activities used in the EFL classroom. It explored the affective experiences the learners had, the value they perceived of the language activities, and the knowledge-seeking (learning) behaviours they performed in relation to the two types of materials. Two small classes of students participated in a mixed-methods QUANqual design experiment. Five activities were selected from popular EFL global textbooks and five comparable humanistic activities were developed. These two types of materials were applied in an alternating and counterbalanced manner within and between classes. The findings show that the learners experienced more diverse and positive emotions and performed more positive learning behaviours during humanistic activities compared to textbook activities. The study indicates that not only uninteresting materials but also already-interesting materials can be effectively humanised to be more interesting to learners. Implications related to the manipulation of teaching materials to promote learners’ interest are also discussed.

Validity and Reliability: The Functionality of Knowledge Seeking Behaviour and Theory Building

The scientific approach to knowledge generation hinges in the collection of valid and reliable data about the phenomenon being investigated. These quests for knowledge claims not only satisfy the human curiosity in the need to know but also emphasize the systematic application of science in the investigation of social phenomenon. However, the functionality of knowledge seeking behaviour rests on the sustenance of the human quest for valid and reliable knowledge. These knowledge only become meaningful when they stand to explain the purpose, nature, meaning and shortfalls of the human element which is the centre of inquiry in the behavioural science research. Thus, an understanding of this phenomenon gives insightful knowledge into the kind of data to be collected that would aid in theory building which is the tool for explaining the knowledge that researchers anchors their philosophical assumptions upon. And since theory building in the behavioural science domain requires the collection of accurate and reliable data in order to make salient epistemic claims and generalization, researchers need to uncover the phenomenon under investigation and such understanding must be taken into consideration. These considerations would inform researchers on the approach to be adopted. Based on these the paper concluded that researchers need to understand the human ontological nature which gives rise to epistemological consideration because human behavior is unpredictable.

Strong ties, information seeking, and ecosystem brokerage among actors in the Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurial ecosystem

While weak ties have received considerable research attention, less is known about the role of strong ties in this context or the interplay among different types of ties. This study addressed this gap, at least partially, by investigating the outreach made by Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs to improve their businesses through a survey of knowledge-seeking behaviors of 533 Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs identified 1666 different ecosystem actors among 3397 separate knowledge-seeking events. The findings from this study highlight the importance of a confluence of strong and weak ties in serving as conduits through which entrepreneurs secure resources from ecosystem support providers. When a breadth of knowledge is required (i.e. both business and technical), entrepreneurial firms establish strong ties with specific government agencies and universities. When primarily business knowledge is needed, entrepreneurial firms form strong ties with government agencies, while government agencies in turn establish strong ties with a wider range of stakeholders across the ecosystem actors. Finally, when primarily technical knowledge is needed the strong ties are leveraged primarily by entrepreneurial firms to embed themselves within the partner organizations, which tend to be universities and professional service organizations. The article concludes with implications for theory and practice.

Revisiting Knowledge Management System Use

Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) are adopted with the aim of facilitating knowledge flow within the organization. However, it is seen that member participation on these platforms is limited. The objective of this work is to identify aspects that influence intention to seek knowledge on KMS. Antecedents to knowledge seeking behaviour were identified through a morphological review of literature. A conceptual model was proposed based on the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour. Structural Equation Modelling was used to assess the adequacy of the model. Results show that seeking happens when the individual has an intrinsic motivation to learn and when the quality of knowledge available on KMS is perceived as having high content value. Interestingly, we find that top management has no bearing on one’s intention to seek. Findings reveal that HR activities need to identify people management practices, such as hiring people with a curious disposition and promoting seeking as a positive behaviour. KM practices need to focus on stimulating curiosity and learning amongst members.