Knowledge Sharing Among Industrial Enterprises in the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

This study investigates the status and nature of knowledge sharing among industrial enterprises in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of: identifying the motives of industrial enterprises in sharing or not sharing knowledge, identifying the factors that influence knowledge sharing between industrial enterprises, and suggesting a model example for knowledge sharing among industrial enterprises in Oman. The data collected through qualitative approach consists of 23 face-to-face interviews with managers from different industrial enterprises, and two focus groups. The first focus group is conducted with managers from all industrial enterprises, and the second one is conducted with managers from Nizwa industrial Estate. The most important results of the study include: most of the managers of Omani industrial enterprises lack the awareness of the concept of knowledge sharing. There is an internal knowledge sharing system at the level of units and departments within a single institution. The industrial enterprises lack specialized information centers that meet the needs of their employees, which then downgrade the potential of interactive and knowledge-sharing environment. The study proposes two model examples for knowledge sharing among Industrial enterprises of Oman: sharing knowledge within a single enterprise (internal); and sharing knowledge within a group of enterprises (external).