An investigation of the effect of extroverted and introverted personalities on knowledge acquisition techniques

Date09 May 2016
Pages194-206
Published date09 May 2016
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-06-2014-0043
AuthorPeyman Akhavan,Maryam Dehghani,Amir Rajabpour,Amir Pezeshkan
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management,Knowledge management,Knowledge management systems
An investigation of the effect of
extroverted and introverted
personalities on knowledge
acquisition techniques
Peyman Akhavan, Maryam Dehghani and Amir Rajabpour
Department of Management, Malek Ashtar University of Technology,
Tehran, Iran, and
Amir Pezeshkan
Department of Management and International Business,
University of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to explore the relationship between personality traits (introversion versus
extroversion) and knowledge acquisition (KA) techniques.
Design/methodology/approach – The major methodology of the current study is survey. Results
are based on 152 usable responses provided by experts in different industries including electronic,
communication, information technology, computer and biology. The major analytical technique used is
Pearson correlation analysis.
Findings – According to the results, there are signicant relationships between personality traits (i.e.
introversion versus extroversion) and KA techniques.
Research limitations/implications – This study was conducted on data from 152 Iranian experts
which limits the generalizability of the results. This limitation can be addressed by future studies
conducting similar studies on cross-country samples. Further, due to the analytical technique adopted
in this study, causality implications cannot be drawn from the results.
Originality/value – This study reveals linkages between personality traits (i.e. introversion versus
extroversion) and KA techniques. Results shed light on the KA process for both scholars and
practitioners involved in KA programs in the organizations.
Keywords Knowledge, Tacit knowledge, Applied knowledge management, Knowledge workers
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The main purpose of knowledge management initiatives is to reveal intangible assets
and especially intellectual capital and to apply them to create competitive advantage
(Jafari et al., 2007) for the companies (Akhavan and Jafari, 2008) to survive and
outperform the competitors (Akhavan et al., 2009). As a result, knowledge acquisition
(KA) has drawn much scholarly attention over the past few years (Cooke, 1994;Shadbolt
and Burton, 1995). However, prior studies have introduced different KA techniques
which make selecting the best approach under any specic circumstances difcult.
Therefore, previous researches have tried to recognize factors that may impact the KA
process and consequently help identify the most effective techniques in different
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5891.htm
VJIKMS
46,2
194
Received 24 June 2014
Revised 18 November 2014
24 January 2015
27 March 2015
Accepted 22 November 2015
VINEJournal of Information and
KnowledgeManagement Systems
Vol.46 No. 2, 2016
pp.194-206
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2059-5891
DOI 10.1108/VJIKMS-06-2014-0043

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