Facilitating knowledge sharing through ignorance management: the moderating role of knowledge processors

Knowledge sharing is one of the most efficient management processes in supporting organizational effectiveness. Extant literature notes a number of behavioural factors with an impact on knowledge sharing. In this paper we introduce the behavioural factor of ignorance to empirically examine its direct effect on organizational knowledge sharing. Conducting a qualitative study within an organizational context we argue that knowledge sharing effectiveness could be greatly improved, by managing employees’ ignorance i.e. knowing what needs to be known and also acknowledging the existence of unknowns. Moreover, based on the findings we identify the moderating role of Knowledge Processors in the linkage between ignorance and knowledge sharing in their capacity as both source and recipient of knowledge. Suggestions are further made regarding new roles in knowledge management whilst limitations and future research implications are also discussed.