The role of affective commitment in promoting knowledge sharing in Zimbabwean higher education

Abstract

Purpose: This study explores the effect of affective commitment on knowledge-sharing behaviour (KSB), highlighting the role of positive and negative affect (emotions) in shaping this relationship in higher educational institutions. A robust knowledge-sharing environment fosters decent work encouraging institutional members to collaborate and share knowledge for mutual success.

Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a cross-sectional design, with cluster sampling encompassing five universities in Zimbabwe. Data were collected via an electronic questionnaire distributed to academic staff, ensuring convenience and minimising response bias. A cover page provided a debriefing on the study’s purpose.

Findings/results: Statistical findings show a significant relationship between affect and knowledge sharing. They also affirm a positive correlation between high affective commitment and elevated KSB.

Practical implications: The study advises practitioners and managers of higher educational institutions to foster KSB through sustainable decent work, which encompasses worker rights, better working conditions and increased skill development. Encouraging emotional bonds, staff welfare and recognition of knowledge as intellectual capital are crucial for organisational success.

Originality/value: The study seeks to enhance KSB literature by adding affect and affective commitment as new variables. Additionally, it explores the impact of affective commitment on knowledge sharing within higher educational institutions, particularly in the context of Zimbabwe, a non-Western, sub-Saharan country, thereby laying a foundation for future research that examines cultural differences in similar variables.