Understanding librarians' knowledge sharing behavior: The role of organizational climate, motivational drives and leadership empowerment

Library managers in Iran have always been concerned with a low level of knowledge sharing among librarians. Identifying effective factors on librarians' knowledge sharing behavior helps us to understand and improve the situation. Organizational factors are one group of these factors. The effect of organizational climate, employees' motivational drives, and leadership empowerment on the subjective norms, attitude, intention, and knowledge sharing behavior among librarians in public libraries in Iran was studied. A conceptual model was designed in light of the Theory of Reasoned Action. Ten hypotheses were formulated. Data were collected by using a questionnaire and were analyzed using structural equations models. The findings showed that constructive organizational climate and positive motivational drives in public libraries, as well as personal and organizational knowledge sources strengthened by the librarians' ability of leadership have a positive and significant effect on subjective norms, attitude, intention, and knowledge sharing behavior. Such conditions facilitate the process of knowledge sharing in public library environments. Moreover, the study highlights the effect of the librarians' leadership empowerment on their attitude to knowledge sharing behavior by motivational drives.