Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of knowledge sharing to survive and remain competitive. Current knowledge sharing models have been found to be lacking as they only focus on the relationships between factors that influence knowledge sharing. An integrated approach that is capable of a simultaneous investigation of the various factors that affect knowledge sharing initiatives, quality of knowledge management and its impact on organizational performance has not been widely attempted. This study aims to develop a holistic knowledge sharing model for the public sector in Malaysia that is based on an integrated approach, which combines factors that influence knowledge management (input), knowledge sharing quality (process) and workers’ performance as well as service delivery (output) that encompasses the individual, organization and technology. This study will firstly present a review of the literature of current models in knowledge sharing, which will then form the take-off point for the development of the proposed holistic model. Such a holistic model is deemed appropriate and necessary to steer knowledge sharing initiatives in tandem with forming the base for policy-making of such initiatives.

Individual factors have been known of their significant impact on knowledge sharing behaviour in organisation. It is the aim of this paper to investigate the relationship between individual factors such as awareness, trust and personality and the quality of knowledge sharing in Malaysian public agencies. Survey method employing questionnaires as technique for collecting data was used. The survey involved three selected government departments executed from October through December 2008 involving a sample of 428 respondents. The data collected was analysed using SPSS version 16.0. Factor analysis and reliability test were performed to ensure the validity and reliability of the instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to verify the existence of three dimensions of individual factors. Analysis reveals that there is a positive and significant correlation between individual factors and the quality of knowledge sharing. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that personality is the most significant predictor of knowledge sharing quality followed by trust and awareness.

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The awareness of the importance of knowledge sharing to the success and competency of organisation is paramount. Knowledge sharing is unavoidable as it is evident that all organisations require some level of cooperation and contribution of multiple knowledge sources to produce a product or service. The goal of knowledge sharing is simply to increase productivity, innovation and creative output in order to outdistance the competition. This study seeks to investigate the impact of individual factors such as awareness, trust and personality on the quality of knowledge sharing in government agencies in Malaysia. A survey involving 428 samples from three government agencies located in Putrajaya was carried out between August to October 2008. Findings reveal that there is a significant correlation between individual factors and the quality of knowledge sharing. This indicates that organisational knowledge sharing is impacted by the individual factors which comprises of awareness, trust and personality of the people handling knowledge sharing practice.