The role of organisational commitment and leader-member exchange in knowledge application during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine the role of organisational commitment (affective, normative, continuance) in influencing employees’ knowledge application behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also probes the moderating role of leader–member exchange (LMX) in the association between organisational commitment and knowledge application. Design/methodology/approach This study used a sample of 206 employees working in various private sector organisations in Brunei Darussalam. Structural equation modelling using Smart-PLS was used to test the hypothesised relationships. Findings The findings show that affective and normative organisational commitment spurred employees’ knowledge application behaviour significantly during the COVID-19 crisis. However, the moderating effect of LMX could not be established in this study. Practical implications The findings provide managers with insights into the crucial role organisational commitment can play in encouraging knowledge application in an organisation. Originality/value Studies exploring the enabling factors of knowledge application are scarce, especially in the context of a global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study develops a model and empirically validates the importance of organisational commitment for knowledge application amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also provides insights for managers into how LMX can affect knowledge application outcomes, particularly during uncertain times.

The impact of time spent working from home on affective commitment in the workplace: The mediating role of social relationships and collective aims

“…We intended our model as a contribution to the slowly emerging picture of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on organizational commitment. Based on previously published studies, organizational resilience (Filimonau et al, 2020), organizational support (Alshaabani et al, 2021), and pandemic-induced stress (Kang et al, 2021) out that affective commitment influences organizational psychological variables, such as employees' knowledge application behavior (Ishak et al, 2022) and organizational creativity (Mohammed et al, 2022). The results of our research further highlight how organizational affective commitment is a highly complex notion that depends on many organizational variables, thus organizations and employers need to gain a more profound knowledge and ensure the provision of favorable conditions.…”

How does a good leader–member relationship motivate employees' innovative behaviour?

“…Therefore, supervisor support means that managers support, encourage and value the work of employees (Bozer and Jones, 2018; Odai et al ., 2021), which can have a very positive effect on the career development of subordinates (Sattavorn, 2018) and is also important for motivating, developing and retaining employees (Mishra et al ., 2019). On the one hand, leaders conduct hierarchical management and resource allocation in the context of the various ‘relationships’ at work, with a good LMR making it easier for subordinates to obtain the resources provided by the supervisors (Ishak et al ., 2022), thus generating a stronger level of perceived supervisor support. On the other hand, employees who receive adequate management support will exhibit positive behaviour toward their organisation (Ahmad et al ., 2016), which directly affect subordinates' perceptions of leadership support—and thus their work behaviour (Naqshbandi and Tabche, 2018).…”

Examining online learning platform characteristics and employee engagement relationship during Covid-19

“…In this context, analyzing the effectiveness of such digital learning on employees’ performance and motivation has become a necessity. According to Ishak et al (2022), employees’ knowledge application barriers can be attributed to psychological (human factors), process-related and organizational factors (incentives and top management’s support). Kazemian and Grant (2022) have analysed the enablers and barriers of online knowledge sharing and suggested lack of learners’ engagement online, organizational pressure, content quality and time act as barriers towards learning and sharing in an online environment.…”