Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Teams in Malaysia: Its Benefits and Barriers

This paper examines the benefits of knowledge sharing in virtual teams of companies in Malaysia. The paper also looks into the barriers that prevent or prohibit the practice of knowledge sharing in virtual teams within an organisation. There are basically three types of barriers discussed in this paper, which restrict knowledge sharing through virtual teams. A questionnaire administered through email was used to collect data. Our sample includes 20 companies operating in Malaysia. The results show how virtual teams encourage all employees in the organisation to participate in knowledge sharing activities. However, some significant findings provided important information on whether companies perceived knowledge sharing as vital to their success. Furthermore, several ideas have been suggested as a way to overcoming some of the barriers to knowledge sharing in virtual teams within organisations in Malaysia.