Evaluating Task Knowledge as a Mediator in the Relationship between Knowledge Sharing and Innovative Work Behaviour

It is widely recognized that knowledge sharing contributes to innovation in organizations. The implicit assumption in the linkage between individual knowledge sharing and their innovative work behaviour is that individuals gain certain qualities while being engaged in knowledge sharing that enable them to become more innovative. In this paper, we explore employee task knowledge as a key mediator in the relationship between knowledge sharing and their innovative work behaviour. Data collected from knowledge workers from several manufacturing and service based organizations is used to test the mediation hypotheses. Results support our mediation hypothesis and show that task knowledge partially mediates knowledge sharing's impact on innovative work behaviour. Knowledge sharing had a positive impact on innovative work behaviour even after considering task knowledge as a mediator, suggesting other mechanisms at work in addition to their task knowledge in how knowledge sharing contributes to innovation. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are also discussed.