Paper Title
AN IN-DEPTH EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION TO UNDERSTAND THE SECRETS OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING AT WORKPLACE

Abstract
In the management and information science literature, the notion of "knowledge sharing" has been for quite some time and has become well-established. However, specific definitions are fairly uncommon. One of the frequently used definitions was proposed by Bartol and Srivastava (2002), which states, "We define knowledge sharing as individuals sharing information that is associated with the organization."This concept underscores that information sharing constitutes a mode of communication that can be regarded as a transfer of commodities, hence subject to economic considerations. Knowledge is a commodity; it possesses particular worth. Undoubtedly, the significance of disseminating knowledge, both theoretically and in practice, has been regarded as a crucial factor for organizational success. Nevertheless, despite the extensive discourse on knowledge sharing, it has received comparatively scant consideration on how it can be facilitated or encouraged in an organizational setting. This issue is of utmost importance, especially in the present context of a high attrition rate prevalent across sectors. This study utilizes Wang and Noe’s (2010) framework, together with self-determination theory and cognitive evaluation theory, to investigate the relationships betweenemployee self-efficacy, learning goal orientation, employee engagement, intrinsic motivation, and job autonomy in the context of effective knowledge-sharing. The research seeks to delineate many managerial implications that may facilitate the improvement of the knowledge-sharing process within the IT sector based on the results and discussion presented. To test the hypothesized model, data was collected from 430managerial-level employees of two large IT companies at two different points in time. The participants were informed about the research objectives and were also informed that their participation would be purely voluntary. The first part of the questionnaire included self-efficacy, learning goal orientation, engagement, and intrinsic motivation. The second part of the survey included a knowledge-sharing questionnaire, exercised after a three to four-week temporal gap. The final data of 337 from the participants who completed both surveys were used for analyses. Further, intrinsic motivation and autonomy were found to positively influencethe knowledge-sharing behavior of the individuals. In the process, intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between self-efficacy, learning goal orientation, engagement, and knowledge-sharing behavior. By linking individual (employee self-efficacy, learning goal orientation, employee engagement), organizational factors (engagement, job autonomy), and motivational factors (intrinsic motivation) with knowledge-sharing behavior,this study helps understand why and how individuals choose to share their knowledge with others in the organizations. The present study contributes to the existing knowledge management/knowledge sharing literature, especially in the IT sector, by empirically investigating and validating relationships betweenIndividual and organizational factors and motivational factors with knowledge-sharingbehavior.