An Experimental Approach to Knowledge Sharing

In the knowledge economy, effective knowledge sharing (KS) is crucial for productivity and innovation. Despite this, KS is often hindered by distrust, fear of competition, and personal motivations, leading to destructive behaviors like knowledge hiding. Policies such as incentives, training, and recognition aim to address these barriers. However, their effectiveness has rarely been compared systematically. This project employs a novel experimental approach using an updated “Trust Game” to analyze KS dynamics and identify the most effective policies for fostering collaboration. By observing actual interactions in an incentive-compatible setting, this project would be the first to generate insights into the behaviors of both knowledge holders and seekers. The findings will allow to rank and refine policies to enhance KS, providing actionable recommendations for knowledge-intensive organizations. By leveraging new and rigorous experimental methods, this project addresses critical research gaps while also proposing a reliable and replicable method to model behavior in knowledge management research.

Key facts

Principal Investigator: Federico Contu-Tornatore
Email: [email protected]
Affiliation: PhD Candidate, University of Luxembourg