An Appraisal of the Effect of Social Capital on Knowledge Sharing among Faculty Members (Case Study: Allameh Tabatabaee University of Tehran)

Abstract

Knowledge sharing among employees is a key factor for achieving sustainable competitive advantage, especially in high-tech organizations, in today's dynamic economy. Effective knowledge sharing can significantly influence time, cost, and quality of R&D activities in organizations. Hence, this research aims at investigating the relationship between social capital and knowledge sharing among faculty members of Allameh Tabatabaee University. The statistical population contains all faculty members of Allameh Tabatabaee University numbering 538 persons. Simple sampling method was used to select a sample containing 228 persons using Cochran formula, 160 of whom filled questionnaires correctly and completely. This is a descriptive correlational study. To collect data, Nachapithe and Guchal’s social capital questionnaire as well as Van den Hoff and Van Weinen’s knowledge sharing questionnaire were employed. The content validity of the questionnaires was confirmed. The reliability of the questionnaires was calculated as 0.877 and 0.813 respectively by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The structural equation statistical method using Amos software was used to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that structural, relational and cognitive dimension variables had a positive effect on the knowledge contribution of the faculty members. Structural, relational and cognitive dimensions demonstrated positive and significant effect on knowledge acquisition of faculty members. Given the importance of knowledge sharing in educational fields, especially in universities, university managers are recommended to arrange the necessary situation for the creation and enhancement of social capital, which is in turn, one of the important factors in the extent of knowledge sharing.

Keywords

• social capital
• knowledge
• knowledge sharing
• faculty members