The Effect of Cultural Dimensions on Knowledge-Sharing Intentions: Evidence from Higher Education Institutions in Jordan

The current study aims to examine the effect of Hofstede’s dimensions of culture on the intention of sharing knowledge in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Jordan. In the literature, researchers have given limited attention to such an effect. Therefore, by adopting Hofstede’s framework, the current study attempts to investigate how Jordan’s cultural context impacts on the intentions to share knowledge in HEIs. This study applied quantitative research methods to investigate the effect of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on knowledge-sharing intentions. In total, 307 questionnaires were collected from employees in Jordanian universities and, then, tested using descriptive and regression analytical methods. The study results show that culture dimensions influence knowledge-sharing intention and that each dimension plays a different role in enhancing this knowledge-sharing intention. More specifically, it was found that long-term orientation, collectivism and high uncertainty avoidance had a positive effect on knowledge-sharing intention, while cultural masculinity and power distance had no negative effect. Based on these results, the study makes several recommendations, the most important of which is the promotion of cultural values that encourage intention to share knowledge. Also, more qualitative research is needed to explore in depth the effective means that encourage intentions to share different types of knowledge.