Millennials and political savvy – the mediating role of political skill linking core self-evaluation, emotional intelligence and knowledge sharing behaviour

Abstract

Purpose Navigating the labyrinthine connections between people, process, technology and infrastructure is a key skill for employees in agile organisations. Political skill is imperative amongst millennials who in a continuously changing environment need to stretch their minds to accumulate and disseminate new knowledge and develop core competencies while responding to new business triggers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a mediation model in which the effect of emotional intelligence (EI) and core self-evaluation (CSE) on knowledge-sharing intention is mediated by levels of political skill amongst millennials. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses, on mediation, were tested with data collected from prospective employees graduating from a premier management institute in Northern India. Structural equation modelling was used to test hypotheses with bootstrapping to test mediation effects. Findings The findings demonstrate that the relationship between EI, CSE and knowledge-sharing intention is mediated by political skill. Theoretical and practical implications and directions for future research are followed. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on knowledge sharing by providing a basis for understanding the mediating mechanism through which EI and CSE influence knowledge sharing. This is the first attempt examining the role of political skill as a mediator in the study of knowledge sharing, a critical lever for agile organisations to flourish. By investigating the underlying mechanisms through which individual differences impact knowledge-sharing behaviour, this study significantly supplements current research on knowledge management.

Modeling the mediating roles of self-directed learning and knowledge management processes between emotional intelligence and learning outcomes in higher education

“…In addition, Fall, Kelly [8] highlighted the need to explain the importance of EI in the educational sector. EI is an individual's awareness of their emotions and their ability to control their emotions to strengthen social relationships [9]. Therefore, EI is directly associated with the educational process in terms of societal augmentation, communication, and alliance for a better tomorrow [2], corroborating the ability-based theory of EI [10] that emphasizes management of personal emotions in the face of challenges to embrace learning with appropriate navigation of social settings [11].…”

The nexus between emotional intelligence and types of knowledge sharing: does work experience matter?

“…It extends current literature by identifying the role of emotional intelligence in strongly influencing tacit knowledge sharing compared to explicit knowledge sharing. Past studies have taken an aggregate view to measure knowledge sharing (Priyadarshi and Premchandran, 2019;Tamta and Rao, 2017;Ansari and Malik, 2017;Karkoulian et al, 2010) which fails to provide a clear picture about the relationship of emotional intelligence with different types of knowledge sharing, i.e. tacit and explicit.…”

“…Likewise, Abzari et al (2014) found that self-management and self-awareness positively impacted knowledge sharing behaviour. Similarly, the empirical studies in Indian context also showed a positive influence of emotional intelligence on overall knowledge sharing (Ansari and Malik, 2017;Tamta and Rao, 2017;Priyadarshi and Premchandran, 2019). As a matter of fact, the above studies primarily focussed on the aggregate view of knowledge sharing making it unclear whether emotional intelligence will have varied effects on different types of knowledge sharing, i.e.…”

An integrated understanding of academics knowledge sharing behaviour

“…Goleman (1998, p. 317) describes EI as “the capability for recognizing our feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and our relationships”. The literature review reveals EI’s impact on work performance by sharing information among the staff (Dulewicz and Higgs, 2000; Priyadarshi and Premchandran, 2019). Thus, the impact SS and EI may create a spiritual path by providing the opportunity for the staff to grow and contribute to society in a meaningful way (Jena and Pradhan, 2018).…”