Propensity of knowledge sharing in software development: Case in Sri Lanka

Knowledge management can be defined as the process by which an organization creates captures, acquires, and uses knowledge to support and improve the performance of an organization. Organizations need to manage knowledge within the organization to successfully face challenges and to achieve organizational goals. However, for better implementation of knowledge management practices, organizations need to have suitable organizational culture, process and technology. Software development is a process where knowledge sharing is vital for successful completion of projects and hence need proper knowledge sharing. Therefore, the objective of this study is to find the motivational factors that affect propensity of knowledge sharing in software development. To find the motivational factors, based on the findings of research in the literature, a conceptual model was developed with four independent variables, namely “Perception on knowledge”, “Time availability for knowledge sharing”, “Gained value from knowledge” and “Distance with employees”. The conceptual model was validated with data collected from software developers using a questionnaire and interviews. Data Analysis showed that perceptions on knowledge and time availability for knowledge sharing have positive moderate correlation with propensity of knowledge sharing. However, it was found that distance with employees has negative weak correlation with propensity of knowledge sharing in software development organizations. Further, it was found that gained value from knowledge has negative weak correlation with propensity of knowledge sharing indicating that if employees get more and more benefits from the knowledge they have, then they are reluctant to share the knowledge with others.