The mediating role of innovative work behavior on the relationship between knowledge sharing behavior and innovation capability in Thailand private university

Abstract

Amongst today turbulent business environment, innovation is considered as a main source of an organization competitive advantage. In higher education environment, especially in the private university, innovation has also received considerable concern as a major contributor in securing sustainable competitive edge in the marketplace. As a result, a number of factors have been introduced to enhance the organizational innovation capability. This research aims to examine the relationship between employees' knowledge sharing behavior, innovative work behavior and organizational innovation capability. The research surveyed a sample of 367 private university staffs in Thailand. Structural equation modeling was used to test the measurement model and path analysis was used to examine the comparative strength of direct and indirect relationships among variables. The analytical results revealed that knowledge sharing behavior showed a positive link to both innovation capability and innovative work behavior. In addition, innovative work behavior was found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between knowledge sharing behavior and innovation capability. This study provides some useful information for university administrators, and highlights management issues involving knowledge sharing behavior and understanding the influence of innovative work behavior on organizational innovation capability.