Classifying knowledge-sharing barriers by organisational structure in order to find ways to remove these barriers

Research in knowledge management (KM) has recently revealed that barriers to knowledge sharing (KS) can significantly influence KS and reduce creativity. KS is a critical contributor to creativity and innovation among individuals in organizations. This paper introduces a framework using the Lotus Blossom technique to classify KS barriers. This technique emphasizes the power of brainstorming on the field of interest by the application of a visual representation of ideas. An exploration of steps to classify barriers is discussed. One of the key aims of the framework is to ensure that barriers can be classified in ways that best identify in order to find ways to remove them. A review of a large number of KM articles in the literature has identified 160 barriers to KS in a variety of organizations. These were classified into eight themes: Social, Individual, Culture, Technology, Political, Organization, Content, and Routine, procedure and process. The paper, then, discussed the most significant barriers to KS: Psychological ownership, Lack of a motivation, Lack of trust, Lack of incentive and reward systems, Lack of organization culture, Lack of leadership, Lack of technical support, Insufficient technology infrastructure. Implications and future research in this area are also proposed.