Networking Behavior and Knowledge Sharing in Business Centers

Knowledge sharing has become increasingly important for organizational performance. Also, there is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates a network of relationships and interactions enables individuals and organizations to find new information and solve problems. For organizations, it is not only important to share knowledge and network within the organization, but also to acquire knowledge from and develop ties with people from other organizations. A business center is a building were office space is offered to multiple organizations. One of the most valued aspects for users of business centers (people who work in a business center) is the opportunity for social interaction and knowledge sharing through shared services or facilities. Previous studies showed that the physical work environment can stimulate knowledge sharing and interactions between individuals. However, these studies focused on large organizations in single tenant buildings instead of multi-tenant buildings. Also, the influence of demographics and personality and the use of services in a business center on knowledge sharing between and within organizations have not yet been studied in a single model. This study aims to contribute to this knowledge gap by analyzing the effects of demographics and personality, the use of services and networking behavior on knowledge sharing. Data was collected between November and December 2015 among 268 users of 53 business centers in the Netherlands. A questionnaire was designed to capture information about demographics and personality, the use of services in business centers, networking behavior and knowledge sharing. Based on these data, a path analysis was performed to analyze all expected relations in a holistic model. The results of this research show that individual characteristics and networking behavior, as well as the use of services (i.e. consultancy services and workshops/ lectures) influence knowledge sharing. These results provide more understanding of knowledge sharing between and within organizations at the scale of a building which received very little attention in existing literature.