The impacts of knowledge-oriented leadership on employees' knowledge management behaviors in Chinese based organizations: a qualitative study

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to minimize the research gap by finding out what are the current state of knowledge management (KM) in the Chinese private science and technology organizations, the essential factors for promoting KM behaviors and the role of knowledge-oriented leadership in determining employees’ KM behaviors. Specifically, this research attempts to create a theoretical framework, which can be used to facilitate KM implementation in general, in the Chinese context in particular.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews with executives, senior managers and specialists were used to capture interviewees’ responses to the research question. The responses were analyzed with Nvivo to detect the obstacles of KM behaviors within Chinese private science and technology organizations.FindingsThis study highlights that poor KM behaviors are caused by knowledge-oriented leaders’ weak awareness of the KM values, and also these leaders are not equipped with the necessary knowledge-oriented leadership skills. As a result, there is a lack of knowledge sharing and knowledge inheritance. To respond to the identified KM related issues, while maximizing the KM values, some effective countermeasures focusing on the strategic, managerial as well as operational levels are proposed.Practical implicationsThere is a need for knowledge-oriented leaders to recognize the growing significance of KM practices, and to increase the level of awareness of KM values. To achieve such ambition, they need to build a corporate knowledge culture, which promotes knowledge development, application, preservation, sharing and inheritance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to deepening the understandings of the linkage between knowledge-oriented leadership and KM behaviors, which is of great significance to promote the soft power of KM on employees’ attitudes and behaviors.

Stimulating innovation performance through knowledge-oriented leadership and knowledge sharing: the moderating role of market turbulence

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Driving financial results is not the only priority! An exploration of the future role of chief financial officer: a grounded theory approach

“…This approach allowed the collected data to guide the analysis and theory development, ensuring that the defined roles primarily assist organizations in survival and navigating future crises. Grounded theory, when used as a research strategy, enables thorough interpretation and the development of a new theoretical framework in response to social aspects of what happens and why (Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Baiyere et al , 2020; Cullen and Brennan, 2021; Liu et al , 2022; Yin, 2022). As Gioia (2022) explains, the grounded theory approach is based on informant experience and implicit theories rather than just data.…”

Knowledge-oriented leadership and learning in academic research teams

“…Second, although we have joined a research stream in its infancy and offer valuable insights into the effects of KOL within research teams, other research designs, such as case studies or experimental designs, could also provide support to the relationships proposed here (Dorta-Afonso, 2019;Rico et al, 2022). In this sense, future qualitative studies are needed for a detailed, in-depth understanding of leaders and followers' opinions regarding the role of KOL in knowledge management (Liu et al, 2022) and how to encourage managers to adapt this leadership style (Zia, 2020).…”