The Impact of Organization Culture on Knowledge Sharing Among Employees in Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) By

Organizational culture is the main contextual factor that both directly and indirectly affects knowledge sharing among employees. There is no empirical research so far conducted on organizational culture of CBE that can inform selection of appropriate solutions from existing theoretical research. Our investigation found that risk avoidance is a key dimension of organizational culture that promotes the sharing of existing knowledge through on-the-job training and through the codification of knowledge. On the other hand, a risk avoidance culture hinders new knowledge creation and organizational innovation through individual creativity. Our case study found that when employees are held responsible for any failure that may occur if they work outside approved organizational procedures, they are less likely to find new and effective solutions to work related issues. The reuse of existing knowledge is beneficial in an organization when it is working towards eliminating routine or common errors but it is not sufficient when the goal is to improve internal efficiency, products and service. The main theoretical contribution of this study is to extend existing findings on the influence of organizational culture on knowledge sharing across different organization and socio-economic contexts. Keyword: knowledge, knowledge sharing, organizational culture, Commercial Banks