Goal orientations and the motivation to share knowledge

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a model that takes into account both personal and contextual factors in explaining individuals' motivation to share their knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing from research on achievement motivation and social exchange, it is posited that goal orientations provide a framework for individuals' knowledge sharing by shaping how they cognitively value the costs and benefits associated with sharing their knowledge. It is argued each of the goal orientations is associated with preferences for sharing specific types of knowledge and is that a focus on different aspects of the knowledge provider‐recipient relationship. Research limitations/implications – The model provides a possible explanation for some of the inconsistencies in existing knowledge‐sharing research on the factors that motivate knowledge sharing as well as expanding understanding of the conditions that facilitate knowledge sharing. Practical implications – For organizations to encourage the desired knowledge sharing, they may need to maintain human resource management (HRM) practices that recognize the different motivations associated with each of the goal orientations. Originality/value – The model developed integrates research on goal orientations and knowledge transfer to expand understanding of how individuals cognitively value the costs and benefits of sharing their knowledge.