Give or keep A transactive memory approach to understanding knowledge hoarding on the organisational digital knowledge repository

Abstract

The goal of this research is to apply and extend transactive memory systems (TMS) theory to investigate the individual and social network factors that influence organisational members' knowledge hoarding on the digital knowledge repository. Specifically, this study examines how key mechanisms in the organisational TMS development, including personal expertise, accuracy in expertise recognition, social network centralities and individual perceptions of other members' knowledge hoarding behaviours, could promote or demote knowledge hoarding on the digital knowledge repository. Survey data were collected from 110 employees working in nine consulting teams. Results showed that team members' knowledge hoarding on the digital knowledge repository was negatively influenced by one's expertise level, but positively influenced by one's betweenness centrality in the social network and one's perception of other team members' knowledge hoarding on the digital knowledge repository. This research offers theoretical and pragmatic implications for effective utilisation of digital knowledge repositories in organisational settings.