Promoting Uncommon Knowledge Use within is Department: Human Resource Management Perspective

Employing new IT to react to external changes and developing IS effectively and efficiently are critical for IS department in contemporary business environment. In order to solve wicked problems that are never faced before, IS department needs to use knowledge uncommonly through twisting current knowledge slightly or analogizing from other areas. In addition to understand its impact on performance, this study also explores the antecedents of uncommon knowledge use from a human resource management perspective. Specifically, we hypothesize that uncertainty avoidance culture, communication, shared decision making, team style work design, and human resource policies are critical antecedents of knowledge augmentation and adaptation, which in turns lead to better IS performance. The results show that while knowledge adaptation can be enhanced by uncertainty avoidance culture and communication, knowledge augmentation is a function of shared decisionmaking, use of team, and innovation-based policies. The results serve as guidance for managers to choose needed HRM practices to boost desired uncommon knowledge use style.