The Influence Of Organizational Culture On Knowledge Transfer In The Energy Sector In Kenya

Abstract

Knowledge transfer involves sharing of knowledge from the source to the recipient and the utilization of the knowledge by the recipient to improve on their performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of organizational culture on knowledge transfer in the energy sector in Kenya. The specific objectives that guided the study were to establish the influence of organizational structure on knowledge transfer in the energy sector in Kenya; to investigate the influence of information systems on knowledge transfer in the energy sector in Kenya; to find out the influence of rewards system on knowledge transfer in the energy sector in Kenya; to determine the influence of interpersonal trust on knowledge transfer in the energy sector in Kenya. The study was anchored on four theories; Organization theory, adaptive structuration theory, Incentive theory and interpersonal trust-building theory. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design to obtain critical information of the subject under investigation from 98 respondents who work for the seven state corporations under the department of energy in Kenya with a response rate of 92.9%. The seven state corporations in the department of energy in Kenya are; the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), Kenya Power, Geothermal Development Company (GDC), Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), Rural Electrification & Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), Kenya Electricity Transmitting Company (Ketraco) and Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA). The obtained data was entered into STATA 15 and Ms excel for analysis and computation.The findings show that coefficient of adjusted determination R2 was 0.589 which translates to 58.9%, of changes in knowledge transfer can largely be explained by the four independent variables; organization structure, information system, reward system and interpersonal trust. The study concludes that the rewards system has a significant influence on knowledge transfer in the energy sector in Kenya. This is due to the both financial and no-financial rewards ability to motivate individuals to adopt behaviours that promote knowledge transfer. Interpersonal trust has a significant influence on knowledge transfer in the energy sector in Kenya, this is due to the existence of trust among employees as well as policies that protect those transferring their knowledge from harm. The study recommends that the state corporations in the energy sector ought to refine their rewards systems to attract more of it employees partake in knowledge transfer practices. Further, they ought to promote and enhance interpersonal trust among it ranks.