Purpose: This paper aims to explore the relationships between participants’ perceived benefits of sharing knowledge privately, within a group or with the general public within an organisational knowledge network. The quality and quantity of knowledge shared are explored in relation to the level of knowledge sharing visibility (both content and participants’ profiles). Design/methodology/approach: A research framework of perceived benefits of knowledge sharing is designed; survey and content analysis are used to explore influences of perceived benefits on the quantity and quality of knowledge shared by participants for each level of knowledge sharing within an organisation. The research model is empirically tested using a questionnaire survey with 205 participants and content analysis of their contributions in a high-tech corporate group. This study uses the partial least squares path-modelling method to explore relationships between constructs of the research model. Findings: The current research results show that intrinsic benefits are more influential than extrinsic benefits for private knowledge sharing, while extrinsic rewards play an important role at the public knowledge sharing within organisations. In addition, results indicate that both the quality and quantity of knowledge sharing at the group-level knowledge sharing are significantly higher than at the private and the public levels. Practical implications: Contemporary knowledge management systems are developed by integrating communication channels in different visibility levels of knowledge exchange. Managers of knowledge management systems are advised to use the research outcome for developing incentive strategies in different levels. Originality/value: In contrast to previous studies that focus on only one level of knowledge sharing, this paper explores relationships between perceived benefits of knowledge sharing with the quantity and quality of shared knowledge for three distinct levels of knowledge sharing.

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This paper explores benefits and costs of knowledge exchange perceived by individuals in connected electronic networks of practice (ENoP) in a corporate setting. The results of 25 semi-structured interviews show 9 perceived benefits and 5 perceived costs to be of importance for knowledge exchange. Altruism and reciprocity are the two main perceived benefits from the knowledge providers’ perspective; problem solving is the main perceived benefit from the knowledge seekers’ perspective. Five perceived costs are identified for both knowledge seekers and knowledge providers; time and effort are the most frequently cited.@en

Knowledge networks play a crucial role in contemporary organisations to improve participation for knowledge sharing. Examining employees’ knowledge contribution play an important role for in success implementing knowledgenetworks. Whereas most part of studies emphasis on the quantity aspect of knowledge contributions, the success of knowledge networks also depends strongly on quality aspect of participants’ voluntarily contributions. Further, employees’ central positions can make a strategic position for participants for both locally and globally in the overall structure of the knowledge network. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between centrality positions of participants with knowledge contribution quality in knowledge networks. Five hypotheses are designed to evaluate relations of employees’ centrality positions with the quality aspect of knowledge contributions using correlation analysis. The network data are collected from a knowledge network of a corporate group in the energy industry. The research results signify degree centrality; closeness centrality and betweenness centrality of participants have significant relations with the quality of shared knowledge. The research outcomes draw initial guides for organisations to evaluate the quality aspect of knowledge contributions by network analysis in knowledge networks.@en