The relationship between knowledge sharing and the job performance of employees of the General Department of Labor Cooperative and Social Welfare of Isfahan province

Dissertation for Master's Degree in Public Administration

Human Resources Orientation

Abstract

The present research was conducted with the purpose of determining the relationship between knowledge sharing and the job performance of the employees of the General Department of Labor Cooperative and Social Welfare of Isfahan Province using a correlational descriptive method. The statistical population of the research was all the employees of the General Department of Cooperative, Labor and Social Welfare of Isfahan province, numbering 700 people, out of which 241 were selected using the Karjesi and Morgan table and using available sampling method. The data collection tool was the Jafari Knowledge Sharing Questionnaire (2013) with 24 items and Patterson's Job Performance Standard Questionnaire (1970) with 20 items based on a 5-point Likert scale, whose face and content validity was confirmed using the opinions of several respondents and experts, and their reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.79 and 0.82, respectively. Data analysis of this research was done using spss software at two levels of descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient, stepwise regression and analysis of variance). The findings of the research showed that there was a significant relationship between knowledge sharing and job performance (r=0.460, p>0.05). Also, the relationship between the dimension of personal interactions (r=0.295) (p>0.01), interaction with society (r=0.281) (p>0.015) and written collaborations (r=0.661) (p>0.01) was significant with job performance. Among the variables studied in the regression, the best predictor of job performance was written cooperation in the first step, interaction with the community in the second step, and personal interactions in the third step. The results also showed that there was a significant difference between the opinions of the respondents in the variable of knowledge sharing and its dimensions according to age, degree, and experience, and in job performance according to age and experience. Career

Introduction

Review of the theory of organization and management in the last two decades is full of concepts that emphasize the change in the environment of organizations, conditions and business practices. The current era is called the age of knowledge, which is based on knowledge. Today's organizations are placed in a competitive environment that is caused by extensive environmental and organizational changes. Environmental changes are so fast and unpredictable that the slightest neglect of them can deprive the organization of a competitive advantage and other organizations face certain opportunities. One of the most important environmental changes that affects the organization is the use of knowledge in the organization and among employees to improve their performance, which is actually an inexhaustible resource for organizations to create superiority in the competitive environment. This chapter has focused on the relationship between the two variables of knowledge sharing and organizational performance to state the problem, the importance and necessity of research, goals, questions, and theoretical and operational definitions of the variables. With the increasing emphasis of the government on creating a knowledge society and the priority of moving towards a knowledge-based economy (in the fourth development plan), the basic issue is understanding how to use knowledge as an important source of competitive advantage. In this regard, many organizations have focused their efforts on how they can manage knowledge in the organization. Knowledge is a systematic category and requires comprehensive attention to various organizational factors (Haddat, 2017).

Knowledge is considered one of the main assets of an organization, and any organization that has more of this capital can better deal with existing challenges and operate successfully in the field of competition. Today, all researchers and scientific groups admit; In order for organizations to have a continuous and stable presence in the world of competition, they must operate around science and knowledge and equip their employees with knowledge tools, so that they can optimize the use of their employees' knowledge and experiences with proper management and constantly cultivate new thoughts and ideas in the organization, which is only possible with creative and innovative managers and employees. (Shain [1], 2019). during which employees transfer relevant information to others in the organization.Knowledge sharing as a complex but value-creating activity is the foundation of many knowledge management strategies in organizations. Researchers and experts emphasize that knowledge sharing is very important and when it is not transferred, it becomes an obstacle on the way of the organization in the field of improving performance and competitiveness and does not allow the organization to function efficiently and effectively (Roska [2], 2005). Knowledge sharing is not just an issue, but it is a problem for organizations because lack of information sharing in the organization leads to the death of the organization (Rig[3], 2005).

One of the basic goals of knowledge management is to implement or improve the sharing or transfer of knowledge among different units of the organization (Jaafari, 2013). If people can use the knowledge they have individually from their work and share it, both the organization and the individual can grow better, and if it cannot be shared effectively in the organization, it is like it has been lost (Alavi and Leidner [4], 2001). It seems that one of the consequences of knowledge sharing is the role that knowledge sharing leaves in job performance.

According to the definition of the Oxford dictionary, performance means everything that people and machines do. Some consider performance to be equivalent to effectiveness and efficiency, and some believe that performance is the sum of all processes that help management to take appropriate action with a glimpse of creating a pragmatic organization in the future (for example, an efficient and effective organization). In other words, performance is doing everything today that leads to measurable and valuable results in the future (Neely et al. [5], 2010). Performance can usually be defined simply in the form of output concepts as follows: "Achieving quantitative goals" or "Performance means both behaviors and results" (Armstrong[6], 2006).

Job performance is defined as personal achievements based on organizational standards and rules and regulations. Job performance is the product and efficiency of people in relation to the actions they perform, in other words, the performance is the actual work of people according to the description of their duties. (Noor Alizadeh, 2013, p. In another definition, performance is the sum of job-related behaviors that people show (Kashwarzi, 2016).

Performance is a predicted criterion or a key dependent criterion that acts as a means to judge the effectiveness of individuals, groups, and organizations. Steps must be taken in order for that work to be carried out, and the realization of the goals means that the goal is realized by following the work steps. It is a behavioral performance in order to achieve the organizational goals and it is measured or valued (Rezai, 2011, p. 68). Especially in the present era, with the existence of information systems and organizational technologies, and the issue of managing the knowledge assets of the organization, attention has been paid.

The General Department of Cooperative Labor and Social Welfare of Isfahan Province started operating in 2013 with the approval of the Islamic Council on the merger of the three Ministries of Cooperative, Labor and Social Welfare in a new form. Among the most important tasks and missions of this general office are planning and monitoring the implementation of labor laws, cooperation and developing a comprehensive system of welfare and social security, policy making and planning in order to regulate labor relations, investigating and solving issues and problems of the labor community, regulating labor and employer relations in line with the policy of preserving and protecting the workforce, policy making and planning in order to generalize and expand civil institutions and organizations in the field of cooperation, labor and social welfare, setting rules and regulations, standards and recommendations. safety and labor standards and determining the annual minimum wage of workers in the Supreme Labor Council, policymaking, planning and administration of matters related to assemblies and Supreme Councils in the field of cooperation, work and social welfare and determining employment policies and strategies and related planning in the framework of the government's macro plans and policies.