Individual attitudes to learning and sharing individual and organisational knowledge in the hospitality industry

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test hypotheses about the role of demographic variables in differentiating attitudes towards learning and knowledge sharing and to explore individually preferred media for knowledge sharing and obstacles to knowledge sharing. The study of the 499 respondents working in international tourist hotels in Taiwan shows that the most popular approach that was used to share knowledge was a conversation medium, but that insufficient time was allowed for this to occur. The study concludes that a majority of the respondents, including top managers in the researched hotels, shared operational knowledge. The results here suggest that it could be helpful for top management staff to put more effort into sharing strategic knowledge for the creation of future competitive advantage, rather than engaging in daily routines, i.e. a more strategic focus for the whole hotel would improve long-term success.