Three-Dozen Knowledge-Sharing Barriers Managers Must Consider

Abstract

Purpose Knowledge sharing is the cornerstone of many organisations' knowledge management (KM) strategy. Despite the growing significance of knowledge sharing's practices on organisations' competitiveness and market performance, several barriers make it difficult for KM to achieve the goals and deliver a positive return on investment. This paper provides a detailed review of current KM and related literatures on a large number of possible knowledge sharing barriers with the purpose to offering a more comprehensive and structured starting point to senior managers when auditing their organisation's current knowledge base and knowledge sharing requirements. Design/Approach This article reviews and discusses over three-dozen potential knowledge-sharing barriers, categorising them into three main domains of recently published works: individual/personal, organisational, and technological barriers. Findings The extensive list of knowledge sharing barriers provides a helpful starting point and guideline for senior managers auditing their existing practices with a quest to identifying any bottlenecks and improving on the overall effectiveness of knowledge sharing activities. Practical Implications Managers need to realise, however, that a particular knowledge sharing strategy or specific managerial actions will not suit all companies and that there are differences to be expected between MNCs and SMEs, private, public sector, and not-for-profit organisations. As such, the implementation of knowledge sharing goals and strategies into an organisation's strategic planning and thinking will vary greatly. Originality/ value This main discussion of this paper brings together a large range of knowledge sharing barriers in an attempt to indicate the complexity of knowledge sharing as a value-creating organisational activity.