A framework for studying the impact of national culture on knowledge sharing motivation in virtual teams

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to deepen the theoretical understanding of the factors that increase or lessen employees' tendencies to engage in knowledge‐sharing behaviors. Further, through a framework of five‐steps, it directs a better future research and understanding of the relationships between national culture and the motivation of knowledge sharing (KS) in virtual team (VT).

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of the social influence theory and the theory of reasoned action, a KS motivation model is proposed. Based on this model, a framework of five‐steps is put forward for further research on the relationships between national culture and the motivation of KS in VT; finally, a detailed application of this framework with a focus on the USA and China is displayed.

Findings

This paper proposes a KS motivation model to enrich the theoretical foundation of understanding the whole mechanism, which induces positive KS behavior; and it provides a general framework and sets the stage for future research on the interplay between cultural values and KS.

Practical implications

This paper is expected to provide some multinational companies with some implications of better KS in VTs and recommend how to establish the different motivation systems according to different employees from different national culture backgrounds; it can also provide some golden nuggets of multicultural conflict resolution.

Originality/value

The proposed KS motivation model will enrich the theoretical foundation of understanding the whole mechanism, which induces KS behavior intention. Differing from related prior researches, the paper provides a conceptual framework for studying and understanding the relationship between national culture and KS behaviors.

Citation

Wei, J., Stankosky, M., Calabrese, F. and Lu, L. (2008), "A framework for studying the impact of national culture on knowledge sharing motivation in virtual teams", VINE, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 221-231. https://doi.org/10.1108/03055720810889851