Harnessing knowledge for innovation: The power of sharing and culture in modern organizations

Abstract

This study addresses critical gaps in knowledge management research by examining how explicit and tacit knowledge sharing interact with organizational culture to drive innovation outcomes in Korean firms, a context where cultural dynamics remain underexplored. While prior studies have examined knowledge types independently, our research uniquely integrates the knowledge-based view with mediation-moderation analysis to reveal how: (1) knowledge sharing transforms individual knowledge into organizational innovation, and (2) organizational culture amplifies this process. Grounded in the knowledge-based view, we propose an integrated model where knowledge sharing mediates the tacit/explicit knowledge-innovation link, with culture as a moderator. Using PLS-SEM analysis of 476 responses from knowledge-intensive industries, this study found tacit knowledge exerted a stronger influence on innovation than explicit knowledge, with knowledge sharing mediating these relationships. Notably, organizational culture amplified the knowledge sharing-innovation link, revealing how collectivist norms enhance tacit knowledge transfer. The findings advance the field by: (a) empirically validating knowledge sharing as the missing link between knowledge types and innovation, and (b) providing culture-specific implementation frameworks for MNCs and SMEs.