A Prospective Study of Knowledge Sharing at Work Based on Self-Determination Theory

Abstract

Introduction Knowledge sharing is an employee behavior that involves the provision or receipt of information, know-how, best practices, lessons learned, and/or feedback about a task, product, and/or procedure in order to develop new skills and competencies at work (de Vries, van den Hooff, & de Ridder, 2006; Gagné, 2009; Swift & Virick, 2013). As such, knowledge sharing is of value to organizations (Grant, 1996; Renzl, 2008), as it can improve individual, group, and/or organizational performances (Argote, Ingram, Levine, & Moreland, 2000; Reinholt, Pedersen, & Foss, 2011; Wang & Noe, 2010). Among dental hygienists, knowledge sharing on tasks and procedures that are used for health promotion can occur at the individual, group, and population levels (Larsen, 2010). Broadly speaking, dental hygienists share knowledge and cooperate with a variety of health care professionals (dentists, nurses, teachers, dietitians, psychologists, and medical doctors) around diagnosis, charting, treatment planning, and use of therapeutic methods to counsel patients regarding management of oral disease and motivation for behavior changes in order to implement best evidence-based practices (Halvari, Halvari, Bjørnebekk, & Deci, 2012; Sweeting, Davis, & Cobb, 2008). As well, knowledge sharing can occur around issues of time pressure, conflict between “out-door” and “chair-side” treatment, medical and odontological diagnosis, deciding when to observe versus when to treat dental caries (cavity), treatment of children and difficult and/or highly anxious patients, reporting of violence and sexual abuse, profit, and ethics. Although such knowledge sharing can be organized using meetings and seminars, about 80% of oral health care professionals share their knowledge and experiences via personal interactions (Ayers, Thomson, Newton, & Rich, 2008; Bretherton, Chapman, & Chipchase, 2016; Gorter, 2005). In the organizational literature, previous research has shown that managerial support for employee goals and values is positively associated with knowledge sharing at work (Buch, Dysvik, Kuvaas, & Nerstad, 2015), whereas ORIGINAL ARTICLE