Online knowledge sharing and creativity in the context of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose The COVID-19 lockdown has forced many organizations and employees to work from home. In such uncertain and unprecedented context, it is crucial for organizations to stimulate their employees’ creativity to adapt to new working environment and thus to sustain and improve organizational performance. This paper aims to examine how to stimulate employees’ creativity by focusing on their online knowledge sharing (OKS) behaviors, their use of online platforms and their organizations’ innovation climate in a working from home (WFH) context because of the lockdown. For empirical analysis, this research uses data from Vietnam – a developing country in the Southeast Asia. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected from employees working in Ho Chi Minh City but WFH during the COVID-19 lockdown. Structural equation models are used for analyzing the data. Findings Online platform use and organizational innovation climate are positively associated with creativity directly and indirectly via the mediating roles of internal and external OKS. Research limitations/implications This research provides policymakers, organizational leaders and managers with an important evidence on how to stimulate creativity by emphasizing the roles of knowledge sharing, online platforms and innovation climate. Accordingly, relevant practical implications are also drawn to sustain or improve organizational performance in the context of WFH context because of COVID-19 lockdown. This research also contributes to knowledge management literature by providing an evidence on the relationships between online platform use, organizational innovation climate, OKS and creativity. Originality/value This research is among the early attempts that explore the associations between employees’ use of online platforms, their organizations’ innovation climate, their internal and external OKS behaviors and their creativity in the context of WFH because of a lockdown.