Learning Organization Culture and Knowledge Sharing: The Mediating Role of Social Capital

Abstract: This study examines the underlying process through which learning organization culture has a positive influence on knowledge sharing. It concentrates on the mediating roles of knowledge sharing. The research questions guiding the study are the following: a) To what extent does learning organization culture predict social capital? b) To what extent does learning organization culture predict knowledge sharing?, and c) Does social capital mediate relationships between learning culture and knowledge sharing? The direct and indirect impacts of social capital on knowledge sharing and learning organization culture were explored. To test the proposed hypotheses, structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted with a sample of 231 employees from a manufacturing firm in South Korea. The results of this study indicate significant direct effects of learning organization culture on social capital. Also, social capital indicates a positive effect on knowledge sharing. Although learning organization culture had no direct effect on knowledge sharing, it indirectly affected learning organization culture and knowledge sharing by mediating social capital. Discussion, implications, and recommendations are provided for future research.