1. ¹Nipissing's School of Business and Economics, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, Canada
2. ²Queen's School of Business, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada

Correspondence: Dianne P. Ford, Nipissing's School of Business and Economics, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, North Bay, ON, Canada P1B 8L7. Tel.: +1 705 474 3450 ext. 4504; Fax: +1 705 474 1947; E-mail: diannef@nipissingu.ca; sstaples@business.queensu.ca

Received 26 April 2005; Accepted 25 January 2006.

Abstract

Achieving value from knowledge has been illusive to the organization despite recent attempts to capitalize on it. An individual's willingness to share his or her knowledge is an essential factor in the organization benefiting from the knowledge it collectively possesses. Yet little is understood regarding what knowledge people are willing to share. This paper describes the development of a new construct, perceived value of knowledge (PVK). PVK's relationship with intentions to share knowledge is illustrated (both qualitatively and quantitatively). The qualitative study illustrates that it may influence the enablers and the barriers to knowledge sharing. The quantitative study found that PVK is positively related to intentions to share knowledge, while Uniqueness of Knowledge (a related but separate construct) is negatively related to intentions to share knowledge. Implications of perceived value of knowledge is discussed.