Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management

Trust, Knowledge Sharing, and ICT Effects on Distributed Agile Performance in Pakistan

Sanober Fatima, Mazni Omar, Mazida Ahmed — Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rising adoption of distributed agile teams has reshaped the global software industry. However, sustaining their effectiveness remains a significant challenge, particularly in the rapidly evolving Information Technology (IT) industry. While trust dynamics, knowledge sharing process, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are extensively recognized as essential facilitators of collaboration, their interconnections in distributed agile teams remain underexplored. The present study examined the relationship between Cognitive-based Trust (CBT) and Affect-based Trust (ABT) and key knowledge-sharing processes, including Socialization (SOC) and Externalization (EXT), and assessed their mediation role in relation to Agile Distributed Team Performance (ADTP). The study also investigated the moderating role of ICT in these relationships. To address the objectives, a quantitative, cross-sectional research design was adopted. Data were collected through a survey using structured questionnaires from ADTP associated with the IT industry of Pakistan. Using purposive sampling, three major cities, namely Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, were selected. As a result, 193 responses were deemed usable for data analysis. The study utilized Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate the hypothesized relationships. SPSS 25 and SmartPLS 4 were applied to test hypothesized relationships. The most important findings demonstrate that CBT is significantly associated with both knowledge-sharing processes and team performance, whereas ABT shows weaker or non-significant effects. SOC and EXT are confirmed as key mediators linking trust to ADTP. ICT strengthens EXT but provides limited support for SOC-related processes. By integrating trust theory, selected SECI knowledge conversion processes, and socio-technical perspectives, this study advances understanding of trust and ICT operating through process-specific boundary conditions in distributed agile collaboration. It also provides practical guidance for emerging IT contexts. The findings also have implications for e-learning practices through an emphasis on CBT, knowledge articulation, and the efficient development of ICT in collaborative learning and knowledge-sharing within technology-oriented learning environments. On the other hand, the empirical demonstration of the role of socio-technical enablers in the knowledge-sharing process and its impact on performance in a collaborative learning environment enhances the existing e-learning literature. It also highlights the importance of fostering CBT, improving documentation practices, and aligning ICT use with relational engagement to enhance ADTP.

Knowledge Adoption in China: The Roles of Ganqing and Renqing

Michael Jijin Zhang — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study sought to advance our understanding of what affects knowledge adoption (a key process of knowledge sharing) in China by exploring the impact of two main affective determinants (ganqing and renqing) of Chinese interpersonal relationships on Chinese employees’ adoption of explicit and tacit knowledge contributed by their peers. Compared with two other main processes (contribution and seeking) of knowledge sharing and their determinants, knowledge adoption and its contributing factors have received much less attention in the extant literature on knowledge sharing in China. The effects of ganqing and renqing on explicit and tacit knowledge adoption were examined and tested with the data from a survey of 243 MBA students in China. The results from the hierarchical regression analyses showed that ganqing was positively related to explicit knowledge adoption and tacit knowledge adoption. Renqing was also found to be positively related to the adoption of both types of knowledge. While effective knowledge sharing relies on both the ‘supply of knowledge’ through knowledge contribution and the ‘demand of knowledge’ via knowledge adoption, prior research on knowledge sharing in China has placed more emphasis on the supply side of knowledge sharing and its determinants. By linking knowledge adoption to two affective factors, the findings from this study help address this imbalance in the knowledge sharing research related to China and increase our knowledge of what might have hindered the diffusion of knowledge management in China and how to better promote it. Other research and practical implications from the study are discussed.

Strengthening Youth Farmer Regeneration Through Knowledge Management Practices in Farmer Communities

Wildan Avian Pratama, Tita Alfaricha — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study discusses how knowledge management (KM) practices at the community level can help regenerate youth in farming communities as part of the farmers. The study is based on the KM model proposed by Probst (1998), which comprises the identification, acquisition, development, distribution, use and preservation of knowledge as interrelated processes that maintain intergenerational sustainability of the agricultural sector. By filling a major research gap, the study relates to the paucity of empirical research specifically examining farmer regeneration through a KM lens, the dearth of understanding how KM practices are lived differently by generations and the dearth of research on how Indonesian farming communities experience indigenous, formal and digital knowledge systems in sustaining agriculture across generations. These observations indicate that KM activities in the community, such as knowledge sharing through participation, intergenerational learning, mentoring, and leadership opportunities, are at the centre stage in influencing youth engagement and their motivation to join the agricultural sector. As much as structural barriers remain, such as a lack of access to land, failure to change perceptions about agricultural work, and dissimilar exposure to modern agricultural knowledge, farmer groups can entice and keep young farmers by promoting collaborative learning settings and utilising both traditional and new sources of knowledge. On the whole, this paper contributes to a clear understanding of the importance of a community-based approach to knowledge management around the area of youth unemployment in agriculture and provides conceptual and practical recommendations to policymakers, non-governmental organisations, and agricultural institutions to enhance farmer regeneration and intergenerational agricultural knowledge.

High Performance Work Systems and Innovative Work Behavior: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing in Vietnam’s Logistics Sector

Khoa Huynh, Thuy Van Nguyen — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined how high-performance work systems (HPWSs) shape employees’ innovative work behaviour through knowledge sharing in Vietnam’s logistics sector. Building on the knowledge-based view, knowledge management literature, and the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework, we developed and tested a model in which HPWSs influence innovative work behaviour indirectly via knowledge sharing at the individual level of perception. A quantitative survey of 782 employees in Vietnam’s logistics sector was conducted, and the data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results indicate that HPWSs significantly enhance employees’ willingness to share knowledge, and in turn, knowledge sharing strongly promotes innovative work behaviour. However, the direct effect of HPWSs on innovative work behaviour was not significant, which suggests that supportive human resource management (HRM) practices alone do not inherently foster innovation unless employees actively engage in knowledge sharing and application. Mediation analysis confirmed that knowledge sharing fully mediates the relationship between HPWSs and innovative work behaviour. These findings suggest that supportive HRM practices do not automatically foster innovation unless they activate knowledge-sharing processes among employees. The study contributes to the knowledge management literature by conceptualising knowledge sharing as a core transformation mechanism that converts HRM-enabled organisational conditions into innovative work behaviour. It also links strategic HRM and knowledge-based perspectives by showing that HPWSs become valuable for innovation when they facilitate the exchange, recombination and application of employee knowledge. The findings suggest that logistics managers should align HPWSs with practices and routines that encourage knowledge sharing and cross-functional knowledge exchange.

Knowledge Sharing Drivers Among Legal Professionals: Insights from Thailand's Intellectual Property Law Firms

Nopphawat Ariyahchatraweekul, Mongkolchai Wiriyapinit, Jintavee Khlaisang — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the motivations influencing knowledge sharing among lawyers and legal counsels in intellectual property (IP) law firms in Thailand. IP law firms represent a knowledge-intensive professional service context in which legal professionals must combine legal knowledge, procedural knowledge, client-related experience, and business-oriented IP strategy. Using a qualitative research approach, this study conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten legal professionals from five leading Thai IP law firms, including partners and senior associates/associates. Thematic analysis was employed to identify the types of knowledge shared, existing knowledge sharing practices, and motivational factors affecting knowledge sharing behavior. The findings reveal four categories of knowledge shared in Thai IP law firms: legal knowledge, professional practical knowledge, IP-driven business strategy knowledge, and personal skill knowledge. The study further identifies two groups of motivational factors. The key extrinsic factors are organizational culture, team interaction, management involvement, technology, business development, and institutional sustainability. The key intrinsic factors are recognition, professional reputation, altruism, trust, and reflexive self-development. Three important context-specific insights emerged from the data: knowledge sharing supports business development through professional visibility and client trust; institutional sustainability depends on transferring knowledge across generations of lawyers; and reflexive self-development shows that lawyers also learn and improve through the act of sharing knowledge with others. The study contributes to knowledge management research by extending understanding of knowledge sharing in a specialized legal context in an emerging economy. It also provides practical implications for law firm management. Thai IP law firms should not treat knowledge sharing merely as informal cooperation among lawyers, but as a strategic management practice. Firms should strengthen leadership involvement, create regular formal and informal sharing opportunities, improve searchable knowledge repositories, support mentoring and cross-team discussion, and recognize knowledge sharing as part of professional development and succession planning. Technology should be used not only for document storage, but also to improve knowledge retrieval and reuse. By developing more systematic knowledge management practices, IP law firms can reduce knowledge loss, improve consistency of legal service, support junior lawyer development, and enhance long-term competitiveness.