Paths to tacit knowledge sharing: knowledge internalization and individual-task-technology fit

Tacit knowledge has long been considered instrumental to competitive advantage of organizations. However, whether knowledge workers will share their tacit knowledge may depend on the extent to which they internalize knowledge and the degree of a fit among certain task, technology, and individual factors. First, drawing from Adaptive Control of Thought theory, we develop Knowledge Internalization as the process an individual transforms his/her declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge. Second, based on the Task and Technology Fit theory, we propose a notion of Individual-Task-Technology Fit whose components include knowledge self-efficacy, preference for personalization knowledge management (KM) strategy, availability of appropriate KM systems, and task variety. The path analysis with a sample size of 259 confirms that both constructs positively affect tacit knowledge sharing.