Hyerin Kim, LSE

Abstract

Online open knowledge sharing is the idea that the Internet can promote the aggregation and dissemination of useful knowledge between a potentially large number of people. Starting from the knowledge sharing idea, various types of online open knowledge sharing services have provided the central platform for users to interact with each other, share their knowledge, and even jointly create new knowledge. In this study, we derive two research questions: 1) what framework can better explain online knowledge contribution? and 2) what factors influence online knowledge contribution? The study draws on both social learning theory and the social model of knowledge creation to investigate the overall antecedents of knowledge contribution and to examine three facets, user-oriented, service-oriented, and community-oriented knowledge contribution behaviour. In the study, we examine which knowledge sharing antecedents motivate people to contribute to knowledge sharing in the framework based on the social model of knowledge creation. We then verify each variable and hypothesis using a survey and the PLS analysis. This study uses social learning perspective to include all three aspects of knowledge sharing behaviour: personal, community-related, and service-related antecedents. With this new perspective, while previous studies have focused on personal cognitive factors in this area, this study examines the integrative influence of factors from social learning and social knowledge creation antecedents. In addition, our findings offer guidance and insights for knowledge sharing service practitioners and managers who are trying to encourage users? contributions.

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