Abstract
The paper takes a supportive view of the integration of spirituality at workplace in influencing employee knowledge sharing attitude in organizations. The present empirical work employed multiple-mediation analysis to test a research model linking organizational spirituality (organizational culture marked with higher-order values) with knowledge sharing attitude through psychological flourishing and organizational trust as mediators. Findings suggest that the intervening variables of psychological flourishing and organizational trust fully mediate the effect of organizational spirituality on knowledge sharing attitude. However, the specific indirect effect of organizational trust is stronger in comparison to psychological flourishing. Theoretically, the paper complements the scholarship of workplace spirituality, as little attention has been given to studying the linkage between spirituality and knowledge sharing in organizations. The paper also helps to explore some of the variance in knowledge sharing attitude by collective level phenomenon. Practically, the paper provides insights for practitioners who attempt to expand their knowledge base which is considered an important dynamic capability that shapes an organization’s strategic flexibility to compete in a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, chaos and ambiguity) environment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ajzen, I. (2005). Attitudes, personality, and behavior. London: McGraw-Hill Education.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Boston: Addison-Wesley.
Altmann, T. K. (2008). Attitude: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 43(3), 144–150.
Argote, L., Ingram, P., Levine, J. M., & Moreland, R. L. (2000). Knowledge transfer in organizations: Learning from the experience of others. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82(1), 1–8.
Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social identity theory and the organization. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 20–39.
Ashmos, D. P., & Duchon, D. (2000). Spirituality at work: A conceptualization and measure. Journal of Management Inquiry, 9(2), 134–145.
Bamel, U. K., Rangnekar, S., Rastogi, R., & Kumar, S. (2013). Organizational process as antecedent of managerial flexibility. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 14(1), 3–15.
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182.
Bishwas, S. K. (2015). Achieving organization vitality through innovation and flexibility: An empirical study. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 16(2), 145–156.
Bock, G. W., & Kim, Y. G. (2002). Breaking the myths of rewards: An exploratory study of attitudes about knowledge sharing. Information Resources Management Journal, 15(2), 14–21.
Bock, G. W., Zmud, R. W., Kim, Y. G., & Lee, J. N. (2005). Behavioral intention formation in knowledge sharing: Examining the roles of extrinsic motivators, social-psychological forces, and organizational climate. MIS Quarterly, 29(1), 87–111.
Carmeli, A., Atwater, L., & Levi, A. (2011). How leadership enhances employees’ knowledge sharing: The intervening roles of relational and organizational identification. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 36(3), 257–274.
Chakraborty, S. K. (1998). Values and ethics for organizations: Theory and practice. New York: Oxford University Press.
Chennamaneni, A., Teng, J. T., & Raja, M. K. (2012). A unified model of knowledge sharing behaviours: Theoretical development and empirical test. Behaviour and Information Technology, 31(11), 1097–1115.
Chuang, M. Y., Chen, C. J., & Lin, M. J. J. (2016). The impact of social capital on competitive advantage: The mediating effects of collective learning and absorptive capacity. Management Decision, 54(6), 1443–1463.
Cohn, M. A., Fredrickson, B. L., Brown, S. L., Mikels, J. A., & Conway, A. M. (2009). Happiness unpacked: Positive emotions increase life satisfaction by building resilience. Emotion, 9(3), 361–368.
Colquitt, J. A., Scott, B. A., & LePine, J. A. (2007). Trust, trustworthiness, and trust propensity: A meta-analytic test of their unique relationships with risk taking and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 909–927.
Constant, D., Kiesler, S., & Sproull, L. (1994). What’s mine is ours, or is it? A study of attitudes about information sharing. Information Systems Research, 5(4), 400–421.
Davenport, T. H., & Prusak, L. (1998). Working knowledge: How organizations manage what they know. Brighton: Harvard Business Press.
Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D. W., Oishi, S., et al. (2010). New well-being measures: Short scales to assess flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research, 97(2), 143–156.
Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 611–628.
Duchon, D., & Plowman, D. A. (2005). Nurturing the spirit at work: Impact on work unit performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(5), 807–833.
Dunn, J. R., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2005). Feeling and believing: The influence of emotion on trust. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(5), 736–748.
Dutton, J. E., Dukerich, J. M., & Harquail, C. V. (1994). Organizational images and member identification. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39(2), 239–263.
Erdfelder, E., Faul, F., & Buchner, A. (1996). GPOWER: A general power analysis program. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers, 28(1), 1–11.
Francescato, D., Mebane, M. E., & Vecchione, M. (2017). Gender differences in personal values of national and local Italian politicians, activists and voters. International Journal of Psychology, 52(5), 406–414.
Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 300–319.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 359(1449), 1367–1377.
Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. American Psychologist, 60(7), 678–686.
Fry, L. W. (2003). Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 14(6), 693–727.
Garcia-Zamor, J. C. (2003). Workplace spirituality and organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 63(3), 355–363.
Gregory, B. T., Harris, S. G., Armenakis, A. A., & Shook, C. L. (2009). Organizational culture and effectiveness: A study of values, attitudes, and organizational outcomes. Journal of Business Research, 62(7), 673–679.
Gupta, M., Kumar, V., & Singh, M. (2014). Creating satisfied employees through workplace spirituality: A study of the private insurance sector in Punjab (India). Journal of Business Ethics, 122(1), 79–88.
Hair, J. F., Jr., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Gudergan, S. P. (2017). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation modeling. London: SAGE Publications.
Halawi, L., Aronson, J., & McCarthy, R. (2005). Resource-based view of knowledge management for competitive advantage. The Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 3(2), 75–86.
Henseler, J., Hubona, G., & Ray, P. A. (2016). Using PLS path modeling in new technology research: Updated guidelines. Industrial Management and Data Systems, 116(1), 2–20.
Herriot, P., & Pemberton, C. (1995). New deals, the revolution in managerial careers. Chichester: Wiley.
Houghton, J. D., Neck, C. P., & Krishnakumar, S. (2016). The what, why, and how of spirituality in the workplace revisited: A 14-year update and extension. Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, 13(3), 177–205.
Ismail Al-Alawi, A., Yousif Al-Marzooqi, N., & Fraidoon Mohammed, Y. (2007). Organizational culture and knowledge sharing: Critical success factors. Journal of Knowledge Management, 11(2), 22–42.
Jain, S., Kashiramka, S., & Jain, P. K. (2018). Impact of organizational learning and absorptive capacity on the abnormal returns of acquirers: Evidence from cross-border acquisitions by Indian companies. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-018-0193-9.
Jena, L. K., & Memon, N. Z. (2018). Does workplace flexibility usher innovation? A moderated mediation model on the enablers of innovative workplace behavior. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 19(1), 5–17.
Jones, G. R., & George, J. M. (1998). The experience and evolution of trust: Implications for cooperation and teamwork. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 531–546.
Judge, T. A., Heller, D., & Mount, M. K. (2002). Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(3), 530–541.
Jurkiewicz, C. L., & Giacalone, R. A. (2004). A values framework for measuring the impact of workplace spirituality on organizational performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 49(2), 129–142.
Karakas, F. (2010). Spirituality and performance in organizations: A literature review. Journal of Business Ethics, 94(1), 89–106.
Khari, C., & Sinha, S. (2017). Impact of workplace spirituality on knowledge sharing intention: A conceptual framework. Journal of Human Values, 23(1), 27–39.
Khari, C., & Sinha, S. (2018). Impact of workplace spirituality on learning commitment. In Sushil, T. P., Singh & Kulkarni, A. J. (Eds.), Flexibility in Resource Management (pp. 99–110). Singapore: Springer.
Kinjerski, V., & Skrypnek, B. J. (2006). A human ecological model of spirit at work. Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, 3(3), 231–241.
Kolodinsky, R. W., Giacalone, R. A., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2008). Workplace values and outcomes: Exploring personal, organizational, and interactive workplace spirituality. Journal of Business Ethics, 81(2), 465–480.
Kwok, S. H., & Gao, S. (2005). Attitude towards knowledge sharing behaviour. The Journal of Computer Information Systems, 46(2), 45–51.
Lin, H. F. (2007). Effects of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on employee knowledge sharing intentions. Journal of Information Science, 33(2), 135–149.
Lin, H. F., & Lee, G. G. (2006). Effects of socio-technical factors on organizational intention to encourage knowledge sharing. Management Decision, 44(1), 74–88.
Liu, C. H., & Robertson, P. J. (2011). Spirituality in the workplace: Theory and measurement. Journal of Management Inquiry, 20(1), 35–50.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013). How do simple positive activities increase well-being? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(1), 57–62.
MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., & Williams, J. (2004). Confidence limits for the indirect effect: Distribution of the product and resampling methods. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 39(1), 99–128.
Matzler, K., Renzl, B., Müller, J., Herting, S., & Mooradian, T. A. (2008). Personality traits and knowledge sharing. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29(3), 301–313.
Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734.
Milliman, J., Czaplewski, A. J., & Ferguson, J. (2003). Workplace spirituality and employee work attitudes: An exploratory empirical assessment. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 16(4), 426–447.
Mindrila, D. (2010). Maximum likelihood (ML) and diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) estimation procedures: A comparison of estimation bias with ordinal and multivariate non-normal data. International Journal of Digital Society, 1(1), 60–66.
Mirvis, P. H. (1997). Soul work” in organizations. Organization Science, 8(2), 193–206.
Moore, T. W., & Casper, W. J. (2006). An examination of proxy measures of workplace spirituality: A profile model of multidimensional constructs. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 12(4), 109–118.
Nelson, S. K., Layous, K., Cole, S. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2016). Do unto others or treat yourself? The effects of prosocial and self-focused behavior on psychological flourishing. Emotion, 16(6), 850–861.
Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nyhan, R. C., & Marlowe, H. A., Jr. (1997). Development and psychometric properties of the organizational trust inventory. Evaluation Review, 21(5), 614–635.
Pandey, A., Gupta, R. K., & Arora, A. P. (2009). Spiritual climate of business organizations and its impact on customers’ experience. Journal of Business Ethics, 88(2), 313–332.
Pandey, A., Gupta, R. K., & Kumar, P. (2016). Spiritual climate and its impact on learning in teams in business organizations. Global Business Review, 17(3_suppl), 159S–172S.
Pavlou, P. A., Liang, H., & Xue, Y. (2007). Understanding and mitigating uncertainty in online exchange relationships: A principal-agent perspective. MIS Quarterly, 31(1), 105–136.
Pawar, B. S. (2009). Individual spirituality, workplace spirituality and work attitudes: An empirical test of direct and interaction effects. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 30(8), 759–777.
Pawar, B. S. (2016). Workplace spirituality and employee well-being: An empirical examination. Employee Relations, 38(6), 975–994.
Petchsawang, P., & Duchon, D. (2009). Measuring workplace spirituality in an Asian context. Human Resource Development International, 12(4), 459–468.
Petchsawang, P., & McLean, G. N. (2017). Workplace spirituality, mindfulness meditation, and work engagement. Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, 14(3), 1–29.
Piedmont, R. L. (1999). Does spirituality represent the sixth factor of personality? Spiritual transcendence and the five factor model. Journal of Personality, 67(6), 985–1013.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2012). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 539–569.
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.
Rego, A., & Pina e Cunha, M. (2008). Workplace spirituality and organizational commitment: An empirical study. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 21(1), 53–75.
Saks, A. M. (2011). Workplace spirituality and employee engagement. Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, 8(4), 317–340.
Santos-Vijande, M. L., López-Sánchez, J. Á., & Trespalacios, J. A. (2012). How organizational learning affects a firm’s flexibility, competitive strategy, and performance. Journal of Business Research, 65(8), 1079–1089.
Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., Thiele, K. O., & Gudergan, S. P. (2016). Estimation issues with PLS and CBSEM: Where the bias lies! Journal of Business Research, 69(10), 3998–4010.
Sheep, M. L. (2004). Nailing down gossamer: A valid measure of the person-organization fit of workplace spirituality. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2004(1), B1–B6.
Sherman, S. J., & Fazio, R. H. (1983). Parallals between attitudes and traits as predictors of behaviour. Journal of Personality, 51(3), 308–345.
Shockley-Zalabak, P., Ellis, K., & Winograd, G. (2000). Organizational trust: What it means, why it matters. Organization Development Journal, 18(4), 35–48.
Singh, S., Sharma, G. D., & Mahendru, M. (2011). Role of value added services in shaping Indian telecom industry. https://ssrn.com/abstract=1905423. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
Sushil (1997). Flexible systems management: An evolving paradigm. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 14(4), 259–275.
Sushil (2015). Strategic flexibility: The evolving paradigm of strategic management. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 16(2), 113–114.
Thaker, K. B. (2009). Approaches to implement spirituality in business. Journal of Human Values, 15(2), 185–198.
Tombaugh, J. R., Mayfield, C., & Durand, R. (2011). Spiritual expression at work: Exploring the active voice of workplace spirituality. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 19(2), 146–170.
Vallabh, P., & Singhal, M. (2014). Workplace spirituality facilitation: A person-organization fit approach. Journal of Human Values, 20(2), 193–207.
Vlachos, P. A., Theotokis, A., & Panagopoulos, N. G. (2010). Sales force reactions to corporate social responsibility: Attributions, outcomes, and the mediating role of organizational trust. Industrial Marketing Management, 39(7), 1207–1218.
Wadhwa, S., Ducq, Y., Saxena, A., & Prakash, A. (2008). Supply chain as a flexible system: A KM focused competence. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 9(2–3), 15–30.
Wang, S., & Noe, R. A. (2010). Knowledge sharing: A review and directions for future research. Human Resource Management Review, 20(2), 115–131.
Wang, X., Clay, P. F., & Forsgren, N. (2015). Encouraging knowledge contribution in IT support: Social context and the differential effects of motivation type. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(2), 315–333.
Waugh, C. E., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2006). Nice to know you: Positive emotions, self-other overlap, and complex understanding in the formation of a new relationship. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(2), 93–106.
Wu, W. L., Lin, C. H., Hsu, B. F., & Yeh, R. S. (2009). Interpersonal trust and knowledge sharing: Moderating effects of individual altruism and a social interaction environment. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 37(1), 83–93.
Zander, U., & Kogut, B. (1995). Knowledge and the speed of the transfer and imitation of organizational capabilities: An empirical test. Organization Science, 6(1), 76–92.
Zou, W. C., & Dahling, J. (2017). Workplace spirituality buffers the effects of emotional labour on employee well-being. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(5), 768–777.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
There is no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khari, C., Sinha, S. Organizational Spirituality and Knowledge Sharing: A Model of Multiple Mediation. Glob J Flex Syst Manag 19, 337–348 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-018-0197-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-018-0197-5