Knowledge Management in the Great China Region: An Exploration of Knowledge Creation and Knowledge Sharing in the Big Data Context

Abstract

This study focuses on the variation of knowledge management activities, knowledge sharing and knowledge creation, in various sectors in the Greater China region against the backdrop of the enabling context of several emerging technologies, led by Big Data.For research purpose, Big data Context (BDC), as a short expression of the specific enabling context, is coined. This research manages to initiate an in-depth exploration of organisational knowledge creation and knowledge sharing in the Big Data Context with mixed methods. In this research, a mixed methodology has been applied. First, a conceptual model of substantive theory, BDC/KM model, with synergies, reciprocity,and peripheral forms, based on the constructs mainly developed through the grounded theory, was created during the qualitative research phase. 24 informants were interviewed in a semi-structured way and memos in the field were logged. Secondly, to validate the reliability of the main structure of the model, a quantitative approach, structural equation modelling (SEM), was carried out via a comprehensive industry scale of survey. Data were collected from 436 valid units covering from large conglomerates to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the subsequent phase. The qualitative model generated by qualitative methods expounds that the knowledge sharing and creation in the BDC/KM context are subtly but comprehensively affected by the constructs as factors in a principally positive way. As variables in the SEM process, the constructs were consolidated by the SEM process, which verified Core mediators for Knowledge Creation and Peripheral Contributors on Knowledge Sharing as the substantive factors. The substantive theory at this stage is that, the Big Data Context in the region of China, which is shaped by a variety of emerging technologies with Big Data as their fundamental core, has a significant impact on knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. The findings imply that the potential of BDC should not be neglected as a player in the KM ecosystem. The impact of BDC on the knowledge ecosystem covers the comprehensive spectrum, inducing changes in the knowledge management framework from the outside in via four constructs, where knowledge sharing and creation are influenced significantly by different constructs, both positive and negative.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Callum Kidd (Supervisor) & Jack Wu (Supervisor)