Should I stay or move on—examining the roles of knowledge sharing system, job crafting, and meaningfulness in work in influencing employees' intention to stay

Abstract

Purpose Based on the affective events and self-concept theories, this study aims to examine the relationship between knowledge sharing system, job crafting, meaningfulness in work and employees' intention to stay with the organization. Design/methodology/approach In the present study, the authors conducted a time-lagged survey for analyzing the association between knowledge sharing system, job crafting, meaningfulness in work and employees' intention to stay with the organization. The study sample comprises 358 Generation Y employees working in Indian IT organizations. Results were analyzed using Process and Hayes macro process. Findings The study findings suggest significant relationships between knowledge sharing system, job crafting, meaningfulness in work and intention to stay among Gen Y employees. Moreover, the results demonstrated that knowledge sharing system, directly and indirectly, impacts employees' intention to stay via sequential mediation of job crafting and meaningfulness in work. Practical implications In today's era of hyper-competition and “war for talent,” retaining talented professionals has become the topmost priority for organizations. This becomes even more challenging with new generations, Gen Y and Z, entering the workforce driven by entirely different needs compared to earlier generations. Thus, the present study offers an integrated framework that organizational practitioners could utilize to enhance the retention of their young talented professionals. Originality/value Despite the emerging interest in the concept of knowledge sharing, few studies investigated the association between knowledge sharing system and intention to stay among Gen Y employees. Also, research still lacks in examining the underlying mechanism of how knowledge sharing system may enhance job crafting and meaningfulness in work, which could fuel Gen Y employees' intention to stay with the organization.