The influence of knowledge sharing on innovation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of knowledge sharing on innovation. Two forms of knowledge sharing are examined, knowledge donating and knowledge collecting. In particular, the effects of knowledge donating and collecting on ambidexterity in organizations are also studied, with ambidexterity defined as the simultaneous achievement of exploratory and exploitative innovation. Design/methodology/approach – Primary data are collected via a questionnaire designed to measure the relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation. Data which were collected from 246 middle and top‐level managers in Turkey was explored by multiple regression analysis. Findings – The results showed that knowledge collecting had a significant effect on all types of innovation and ambidexterity, whereas knowledge donating, involving donating inside and outside the group, did not have any effect on exploratory innovation. It was also observed that in‐group knowledge donating affected both exploitative innovation and ambidexterity. Research limitations/implications – This paper is limited to Turkish managers. Hence, impact of culture should be considered in future studies. It is advised that future research should be designed for different countries in order to conduct a comparative study. Practical implications – These results provide some information that is useful to decision makers and managers who are in charge of directing innovation strategies in organizations. The study also emphasizes the importance of effective knowledge management that can improve innovativeness in the organizations. Originality/value – Studies comprising the relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation types are not abundant in the academic literature. So, the paper provides practical information to a relatively unexplored area.