Web knowledge sharing and its effect on innovation: An empirical investigation in SMEs Articles uri icon

authors

  • SOTO ACOSTA, PEDRO
  • COLOMO PALACIOS, RICARDO
  • POPA, SIMONA

publication date

  • February 2014

start page

  • 103

end page

  • 113

issue

  • 1

volume

  • 12

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1477-8238

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1477-8246

abstract

  • This paper extends previous studies on knowledge management by analysing factors affecting Web Knowledge Sharing (WKS) in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In addition, the impact of WKS on organizational innovation and the moderating effect of IT skills on this relation are analysed. Grounded in the technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory and the resource-based view (RBV), this paper develops an integrative research model, which analyses these relations using structural equation modelling on a data set of 535 Spanish SMEs. Results suggest that technological and organizational factors - IT expertise and commitment-based human resources practices - positively influence WKS, while the contrary is found for environmental factors (customer power). In addition, results show that WKS contributes positively to organizational innovation, though support for the moderating effect of IT skills in this relation is not found. The main conclusions of this research can be valuable to SMEs that use or intend to use Internet technologies for knowledge management. © 2014 Operational Research Society Ltd. All rights reserved.

keywords

  • innovation; internet technologies; knowledge sharing; performance; smes; toe theory