Knowledge sharing as a catalyst for enhanced performance in micro, small and medium enterprises (msmes) in Migori county, Kenya

Abstract

In the last decade the role of knowledge sharing in business organizations has been emphasized by practitioners, academics and entrepreneurs. Ironically, most of these studies have focused on large organizations, yet others have predominantly focused on secondary literature of past studies for their findings. In addition, some studies have focused on particular aspects like tacit knowledge or explicit knowledge without giving a clue on the relationship to performance using both. This study sought to find out the effect of knowledge sharing on organizational performance with particular reference to MSMEs, thereby filling the gap on small organizations. The study was also empirical and addressed both tacit and explicit forms of knowledge. The study was conducted by cross sectional survey, data being collected using questionnaire and structured interview responses from a sample of 46 owner and 110 employed managers of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises randomly selected from the accessible population using stratified random sampling technique. Findings revealed that knowledge sharing indeed had a significantly positive effect on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Migori County, Kenya. The study recommends that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises be encouraged to facilitate implementation of knowledge sharing so as to realize significant improvements in their performance.