INFLUENCE OF CHALLENGING WORK FACTORS AND EMPLOYEES’ WELL-BEING ON KNOWLEDGE SHARING BEHAVIOR IN SAUDI ARAMCO

Abstract

This study addresses how employee well-being and knowledge sharing behaviour can be managed within challenging work factors in the workplace environment. It also seeks to examine 1) the relationships between various work factors and employees' well-being (EWB) in psychological, physical, and social aspects, 2) the relationships between the employees' well-being and knowledge sharing behavior (tacit and explicit). 3) the moderating effect of benevolent leadership in the relationship between challenging work factors and employees' well-being, and 4) the moderating effects of innovative organizational culture (IOC) in the relationship between employees' well-being, and knowledge sharing behaviour (KSB). The methodology of research in the present study is quantitative. The survey technique was used in data collection, it was conducted among 362 Saudi Aramco employees using the judgmental sampling method. Smart PLS was used for analyzing data. The findings illustrated that 1. Job hazards were found to affect the physical well-being of employees significantly. As a result of improvement in physical and social well-being, better knowledge-sharing behaviour in both tacit and explicit dimensions was demonstrated. In specific, tacit knowledge-sharing behaviour is motivated more by physical well-being while explicit knowledge-sharing behaviour is by social well-being. 3. Workplace conflict is found positively related to social well-being, contradicting hypothesized relationships. This seems to indicate Saudi Aramco employees embrace differences in view, beliefs, and feelings at work, and open discussion of conflicts enhances their social well-being. This study provides ideas to human resource management on strategies to enhance employee well-being for improved knowledge sharing behavior. Also, managers are encouraged to use open debates of differing views to resolve work matters professionally. This study deviates from current employee well-being studies by recognizing three different types of employees well beings (psychological, physical, and social) that contribute differently to knowledge sharing behavior. Also, it identifies factors that determine employee well beings.