Influences of Organizational Culture on Knowledge Sharing in an Online Virtual Community: Interactive Effects of Trust, Communication and Leadership

The present study examined the influences and interactive effects of organizational culture, including trust, communication, and leadership, on online knowledge sharing based on social exchange theory and theories of trust, communication, and leadership. Two-hundred-ninety-seven members in three online engineering virtual communities from a knowledge management platform in a company were participants for filling in questionnaires. The results revealed that trust, communication, and leadership significantly affected online knowledge sharing. Members with high levels of trust, communication, or leadership had significantly better knowledge sharing than members with medium or low levels of trust, communication, or leadership. The results also showed a significant interactive effect of trust and communication on online knowledge sharing and a significant interactive effect of leadership and communication on online knowledge sharing, but there was no significant interactive effect of trust and leadership on online knowledge sharing. No previous studies have investigated the interactive effects of trust, communication and leadership on online knowledge sharing. That research finding is a significant contribution different from previous studies. Finally, this article offers suggestions for future research, implications of this study, and limitations of this study.