Research pick: Share the knowledge - "The influence of knowledge sharing behaviour on employees’ innovative work behaviour: the moderating role of perceived supervisor support"

Employees who share knowledge freely with their colleagues are more likely to be innovators at work, according to research in the International Journal of Economics and Business Research. This is especially true when those employees feel supported by their supervisors. The research focused on Ho Chi Minh City’s pharmaceutical sector, but offers wider lessons for organisations looking to strengthen innovation from within.

The team surveyed 315 pharmaceutical employees and used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling to analyse the results. This approach, applied widely in the social sciences, helps discern relationships in complex data. In the present case, it allowed the authors to trace how knowledge sharing and supervisory support interact to influence how innovative employees are at work.

Knowledge sharing, in this context, is the voluntary exchange of information, skills, and expertise among colleagues. It is not necessarily mandated by formal procedures or job descriptions but emerges from a culture of cooperation and trust. The team found that employees who actively engage in this kind of sharing are significantly more likely to suggest new ideas, improve work processes, or develop new products, all of which are key markers of workplace innovation. The study showed that where this kind of sharing was supported by supervisors, it was even more effective.

When employees perceive that their supervisors provide guidance, give recognition, or create an atmosphere where it is safe to express new ideas, the link between knowledge sharing and innovation becomes stronger. In other words, managerial encouragement acts as a multiplier of the benefits of a collaborative workplace.

Several factors were identified as contributing to a culture of knowledge sharing: trust among colleagues, reciprocity, strong organisational commitment, and self-confidence in the employee’s own expertise. Each of these social or psychological conditions, rather than any procedural ones, show that culture over compliance underpins innovation.

Van Dung, T. (2025) ‘The influence of knowledge sharing behaviour on employees’ innovative work behaviour: the moderating role of perceived supervisor support’, Int. J. Economics and Business Research, Vol. 29, No. 17, pp.21–35.