How expected benefit and trust influence knowledge sharing

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to look at the relationships among factors which result in improved knowledge sharing, through the empirical validation of a theoretical model consisting of three dimensions: expected benefit in relation to knowledge sharing, trust at workplace, and employee knowledge-sharing behavior. Design/methodology/approach - This study targets three technological companies with a total of employees exceeding 1,500 (n = 563), utilizing a survey questionnaire as the data collection instrument to test the relationship among the three dimensions. The structural equation modeling approach is used to test the proposed model. Findings - The results show that trust at workplace has a mediating effect on organizational knowledge-sharing behavior. It is also discovered that there is significant correlation between expected personal benefit through sharing knowledge and the development of trust at workplace. Originality/value - This study contributes empirical data to the predominantly theoretical literature by offering a deeper understanding of the mediating effect of trust on employee's expected benefit for the purpose of knowledge exchange behavior within teams and among teams.