There is lack of empirical, broad-based research in the area of comparative, cross-cultural studies that focus on knowledge sharing. Using the knowledge-based view (KBV) as the theoretical foundation, the study investigates how organizational practices in two distinct national cultures support knowledge sharing activities and the associated supporting organizational practices that are widely transferable. We propose and empirically test a model that examines the relationships among strategic, decision and technology practices and organizational knowledge sharing in two distinct national cultures (US and Japan). The results of the study suggest that despite the existing cultural contrasts in these two countries there are some common organizational practices that positively impact an organization's knowledge-sharing environment. While these results support a model of core organizational practices that foster knowledge sharing and that are transferable across national cultures our findings also support the need for careful consideration of the type of practices applied across different cultures.

Knowledge sharing is an important variable in the knowledge management literature emphasizing the importance of social factors. Recent research has revealed that social-psychological and sociological factors are imperative to knowledge sharing. The theory of reasoned action (TRA) was designed to model how any specified behavior under volitional control is produced by beliefs, attitudes, and intentions towards that behavior. Organizational justice encompasses three dimensions: interactive, procedural, and distributive justice. This study explores knowledge sharing through the lens of organizational justice by empirically testing a model that combined elements from the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Organizational Justice Theory. The study findings show that attitude toward knowledge sharing, subjective norm, and procedural justice have a direct impact on the intention to share knowledge, while distributive and interactional justice influence it indirectly via attitude toward knowledge sharing. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.

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