The role of organisational climate in managing knowledge sharing among academics in higher education

Abstract Organizations have often implemented Knowledge Management programs to connect employees better and promote knowledge sharing (KS). In the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), this is particularly valid as knowledge creation and dissemination direct their mission and vision. Academics are one of the pillars of HEIs, where knowledge is created and shared. Nonetheless, as HEIs strive to promote academics’ knowledge sharing culture, the actual behaviour of academics might remain inhibited by numerous issues, namely the organizational. Prior research has been focused primarily on individual, technological and scarce aspects of organizational elements. Therefore, this study assesses the role of organizational climate operationalized by organizational leadership and trust in academics’ KS in HEIs. Partial Least Square (PLS) method where variance-based Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied in this study. Results from 257 surveyed academics indicate that organizational climate has an exceptionally strong influence on academics’ KS practices. Additionally, organizational leadership and trust had a positive relationship with academics’ KS behaviour. These findings indicate that it is necessary to consider organizational elements and their interactions when understanding and fostering academics’ knowledge sharing behaviour in HEIs context.