Enhance the impacts of social capital and IT on knowledge management, through knowledge creation: Perception of research officers in public research institutions in Sri Lanka

Abstract

There are considerable gaps identified in ‘knowledge creation’ (KC) and ‘knowledge management’ (KM) at individual and organizational level. This study examines whether social capital (SC) and information technology (IT) capability have any significant impact on KM and determine the mediating role of KC on this relationship in public sector research institutions in Sri Lanka. The study adopts a positivistic philosophy and uses a hypothetico-deductive method. A questionnaire-based survey, cross-sectional and self-administered, was used to collect data. The population is research officers in public research institutions in Sri Lanka, in a sample of 220 with a response rate is 67%. The findings confirmed that the SC and IT have significant impact on KM, with model accuracy of 31.3%. When KC mediates the relationship from SC to KM and IT to KM, the explained variation of KM can be enhanced up to 61.2% and 45.2%, respectively. Therefore, research institutions should pay special attention to KC when facilitating for SC, IT and KM.