Exploring knowledge sharing in virtual communities

Purpose – Knowledge sharing has played an important role in the proliferation of virtual communities. However little research has provided an integrated view of knowledge sharing for a general-purpose (non-professional) virtual community. This study aims to suggest that four driving forces, i.e. utilitarian motivation, hedonic motivation, control belief (self-efficacy) and contextual force (sharing culture), motivate users' attitudes toward knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach – The research participants are knowledge contributors who participate in general-purpose virtual communities. A total of 473 valid questionnaires were collected. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypothesis. Findings – The results show that users' attitude toward knowledge is determined by all four key forces: utilitarian motivation (reciprocity, reputation), hedonic motivation (enjoying helping), control belief (self-efficacy) and contextual force (sharing culture). Users' attitude, self-efficacy and sharing culture have an effect on continuance intention to share knowledge. Research limitations/implications – Contrary to prior studies of professional knowledge sharing, this study found that hedonic motivation is more important than utilitarian motivation in terms of intention to continue sharing knowledge. Practical implications – Virtual community service providers should provide mechanisms for users to enjoy helping others, refine utilitarian benefits by improving honour and rewards systems, support a fair and open sharing culture, and help users to gain a stronger sense of competence as successful knowledge sharers. Originality/value – This study articulates and empirically validates an integrated model of knowledge sharing. It helps researchers better understand continued knowledge sharing behaviour in virtual communities.