Estudio teórico-empírico de las barreras al intercambio del conocimiento en la empresa

Abstract

The aim of this work is to investigate from both theoretical and practical perspectives the barriers or obstacles that hinder the exchange of knowledge among workers. This is a novel research in Spain, from the size of the sample used, as only three references of this nature have been found, for Chinese and American companies. Theoretical studies of psychological and motivational nature that explain the behavior and attitude of the worker and work climate, as well as the commitment and leadership style that affect knowledge sharing within the enterprise, have been revised. This justifies the theoretical foundations that underpin the study and the purpose and benefits for the organization. For the empirical research, a questionnaire has been developed for a sample of 557 workers from 27 companies in the province of Burgos, Spain. The results reveal that the most important barriers to knowledge sharing are appropriation by others, lack of explicit incentives, lack of reciprocity among colleagues and temporary or eventual work contracts. Concerning management negligence or misconduct, the most relevant barriers are influenced hiring or ‘cronyism’, harassment and humiliation of the employee, inadequate working climate, poorly designed or nonexistent organizational structure, and authoritarian management styles.