Bakhari and Zawiyah (2012) and Rohman, Eliyana, Purwana and Hamidah (2020) classify the factors influencing the management of information sharing into three categories. They are considered as factors that affect the management of information sharing in the organisation.
These are individuals’ factors, technological factors and organisational or work-related factors.
2.11.1 Individual Factors Influencing Information Sharing
Individuals are major role players and drivers of information sharing in every organisation, and there are a diversity of individual or personal factors that have been noted to affect information sharing in organisations. Bakhari and Zawiyah (2012) report that many research studies have put emphasis on the role of technology in driving information sharing, omitting the human factor
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which is regarded to be the major role player in implementing information sharing in the organisation. Oye et al. (2012) report that tacit information is possessed by the individual, and therefore, it depends on his or her willingness to share that information to contribute towards the needs of the organisation or to help others who might need it. There is a number of factors that either encourage employees to share information or discourage them from sharing their expertise which they understand to belong to them (Rohman et al., 2020).
It is important to note that individuals are the main drivers of information sharing in the organisation and that their frame of mind towards sharing information has an influence on their information sharing behaviour. According to Evans (2012), achievable sharing and conveyance of information throughout the organisation have an immediate positive effect on the feasibility and performance of organisations. Examining and comprehending workers' conduct regarding their eagerness to offer information can have noteworthy ramifications for organisations and their performance. Literature attests that organisations cannot efficiently utilise information without their workers having a proactive state of mind towards sharing information among themselves and others (Rohman et al., 2020).
The current literature presents a variety of theories and models that talk about the individual factors that influence information sharing. As per the research findings of Riege (2005), there are possible individual elements that influence employees’ information sharing behaviour. These are the absence or availability of time for engagement and information sharing; the personal perception of risk involved in information sharing; awareness; dominance in sharing explicit information over tacit information; the employee’s job satisfaction level; distribution of power and the individual’s role; a collection of information; appraisal; criticism; personal engagement;
the employee’s job expertise; interpersonal relationships and communication skills; confidence in the individual’s oral or transcribed communication; the individual’s social skills; variance of age; gender; the availability of a social network; the individual’s education levels; a sense of ownership by the company; the level of altruism; and the individual’s culture and racial group, personal values and beliefs. The following passages looks at the most prominent individual factors that are believed to influence information sharing in organisations, as suggested by Bakhari and Zawiya (2012).
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2.11.2 Technological Factors Influencing Information Sharing
Technological factors are perceived to have both positive and negative influence on information sharing behaviour. The definition of information sharing behaviour often focuses the importance of organisational strategies or tools that are used to share information (Bata, Norman and Allen, 2020; Rohman et al., 2020). The outdated methods used by organisations include direct interaction, training, and the unpacking of the organisational documents and policy handbooks.
Furthermore, technological advancements have yielded several strategies and tools that are used in organisations to share information. These technological means have brought about impactful transformations in information sharing among employees in the organisation. Lee, So and Tang (2000) mention the internet, intranet, social media and computer equipment as some of the technological equipment and platforms that influence information sharing in the workplace.
According to Camarinha-Matos (2004), technology is one of the crucial drivers of knowledge sharing.
Information and communication technology plays an important part in driving information sharing in organisations. Bakhari and Zawiyah (2012) attest that information and communication technology (ICT) is an important key player in information management, and categorises ICT tools into five subdivisions, namely office applications (e.g. emails, messaging, calendaring and scheduling); groupware (such as the discussion of databases, application sharing and electronic meeting systems); work process systems; analytical systems; and information systems such as portals, e-learning, and knowledge sharing. Thus, the successful use of these tools is likely to enable information sharing among employees in organisations.
Technical infrastructure and other resources are required by employees so they can utilise them to access latest information and share it whenever necessary. For this reason, information technology plays a critical role on information sharing behaviour. Bata et al. (2004) report that IT skills and technological infrastructure influence employees’ tendency to share knowledge among themselves, while Ander, Spek and Spijkervet (1997 cited in Evans, 2012) articulate that information technology and communication technology are complex tasks with achievable skills and have marvellous outcomes in enhancing information sharing and the efficient performance of
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knowledge exercises. In short, the availability of the necessary resources and organisational infrastructure encourages information sharing among employees in the workplace.
2.11.3 Organisational Factors Inducing Information Sharing
Supply chains management has turned into a broad-spectrum across industries since it focuses on seller-buyer partnerships, shared planning, continuing strategic partnership, control of stock, information sharing and logistics management (Banomyong and Supatn, 2011; Al-Odeh, 2016).
Al-Odeh (2016) emphasise that effective supply chain management should provide high quality of customer service to a particular section by the reduction of the entire amount of resources and improving customer services through enhanced product availability and reduced turnaround time on order cycle. Supply chain management adopts a systems’ perspective across firms and functions as an absolute system by processes of coordination. Companies may engage in information exchange and structural collaboration. Information exchange may include the inventory supervision, forecasting techniques and delivery. Meanwhile, the structural collaboration may include vendor-controlled inventory, outsourcing and collocating factories (Crainic and Laporte, 2016; Rohman et al., 2020).
The organisation plays a critical part in controlling information sharing among employees within the organisation. Several factors that are taken into consideration to effect information sharing is discussed in this section. Lin and Lee (2005) report that some studies have discovered that organisational innovation on information sharing is highly affected by the workers’ capabilities, management approaches and management styles, organisational policies and employee attitudes.
Bata et al. (2020) added that other factors affecting information sharing involves employee and management involvement, teamwork, and compensation, inclusion of high-ranking and new personnel and a dependable working environment.
The organisational factors involve the effect of the organisational culture, leadership technique, organisational structure, office design, integration between information management and tasks carried out, and the objectives of the organisation. According to Leopold et al. (2014), the centralisation of power and decision making is one of the factors that hinder information sharing among employees within the organisation. Senior management participation and support in
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driving the sharing of information in the organisation has been finalised as one of the critical tools for the achievement of information sharing in the organisation (Holsapple and Joshi, 2000 cited in Easterby, Smith and Prieto (2008); whereas Bakhari and Zawiyah (2012) report that organisational structure and organisational culture has a great influence on information sharing in the organisation. According to Bata et al. (2014), the organisational culture is inclusive of factors like trust, leadership, communication, reward system, information system, and the organisation’s structure, which collectively influence information sharing in organisations.
Various studies show several factors that affect organisational information sharing, but Leopold, Pittke and Ahrend (2014) assert that four factors affect information sharing in the organisation.
These factors are trust, decision structures or senior management support, motivation, and organisational structures. These factors can hamper or encourage information sharing practices, depending on how it is handled by the organisation. Kim and Lee (2006) add that perfect managerial vision and objectives develop a productive influence on the employees’ ability and willingness to share information. The following passages comprises a brief discussion on the findings of different scholars with regards to the above-mentioned organisational factors and how they influence information sharing behaviour in organisations.
2.11.3.1 Intra-organisational Factors Influencing Information Sharing
Intra-organisational exchange of data and information may occur according to several layers of responsibilities and territorial jurisdictions. There are significant challenges to encouraging enhanced communication and information sharing, especially given the fact that most communications interoperability issues are not technical. Organisational cultures, differences in terminologies, and incompatibility of standard operating procedures all create barriers for progress. These point towards the need to take an end-user-centric approach rather than a platform-centric approach in designing an information sharing framework. Inter- and intra- organisational issues in emergency response are concentrated into three main topics:
organisational coordination, emergent technologies, and technique in information processing and evacuation planning (Dantas and Seville, 2006; Al-Odeh, 2016).
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