Unraveling the dynamics of supervisor-subordinate knowledge sharing: a study of South Korean police officers

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influence of supervisor knowledge sharing on the task performance and the overall evaluation of employees in the context of supervisor-subordinate relationships, a prevalent yet underexplored mode of knowledge transfer.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the social exchange perspective, we propose a framework integrating supervisors’ self-sacrificial leadership and employees’ supervisor-directed organizational citizenship behavior (OCB-S) as critical drivers of efficient knowledge transfer. By bridging micro- and macro-level organizational behavior, this study addresses a key research gap and provides a holistic understanding of factors that enhance knowledge transfer within organizations. To empirically test the hypotheses proposed in our study, we employed the PROCESS macro Model 7 to validate the moderated mediation model and conducted bootstrapping analyses to confirm the statistical significance of the predicted relationships.

Findings

This study offers insights into the micro-processes underlying interpersonal knowledge transfers within supervisor-subordinate relationships. It highlights the significance of self-sacrificial leadership and OCB-S in facilitating effective knowledge sharing, ultimately influencing the task performance and the overall evaluation of employees.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature on knowledge management by exploring the understudied area of knowledge sharing within supervisor-subordinate relationships. It provides a framework that integrates leadership and OCB as key factors influencing knowledge transfer efficiency. The findings offer practical implications for organizations seeking to optimize knowledge management practices, leadership development and performance appraisal processes.