Cultivating knowledge sharing among academics: the role of social media and the impact of social capital

Abstract

Abstract A research model grounded in social capital theory was tested to examine the influence of social media on the formation of social capital. Facets of social capital in cultivating knowledge sharing were hypothesized to have a relationship with routine and innovative job performance. The analysis uses a structural equation modeling to examine the behavior of 290 faculty members at one higher education institution in Kuwait. The results reveal that social media has a significant role in the formation of social capital. However, trust and shared vision were the only social capital facets that emerged as determinants of knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing had an impact on innovative job performance.