Arousing a positive climate for knowledge sharing through moral lens: the mediating roles of knowledge-centered and collaborative culture

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the correlation between ethical leadership (EL), collaborative culture (CC), knowledge-centered culture and employees’ behaviors toward knowledge sharing (KS) in Chinese firms. Design/methodology/approach: The paper used structural equation modeling to examine the level of how EL, CC and knowledge-centered culture impact on tacit and explicit KS of employees via the data collected from 319 participants in 51 Chinese firms. Findings: The research findings show collaborative and knowledge-centered culture mediates the relationship between EL and employees’ KS behaviors. It highlights the necessity of practicing EL style to develop a positive climate aimed at positively improving tacit and explicit KS of employees. Research limitations/implications: Future studies should focus on investigating the relationship between EL, CC and knowledge management process or the other variables to explore and maximize their potential and benefits toward key organizational outcomes. Practical implications: This paper offers leaders a deeper understanding of the effective pathways to build positive climates for fostering employees’ tacit and explicit KS. Originality/value: This paper is unique in the attempts to increase the understanding of moral lens by which EL might successfully arouse a positive organizational culture and foster KS behaviors in their firms.