A novel view on knowledge sharing in the agri-food sector

Purpose – Nowadays, the agri-food sector is facing several challenges due to a rapid technological
change which calls for knowledge sharing (KS) practices to enhance businesses’ performance. This has
spurred a collaborative approach and the creation of networks. Since there still is a paucity of research on
the quality degree of KS, the purpose of this study is to offer an empirical research on the quality degree
of KS by exploring outcome expectations and social exchange dimensions. Theoretically, it is examined
by a double lens of social capital and social cognitive theory.
Design/methodology/approach – This study offers an empirical analysis of 313 directors of 11
‘‘consortia’’ in the agri-food sector in Italy by using the fuzzy expert system. The model allows to
aggregate multi criteria dimensions of KS and rates its quality.
Findings – As resulted, the quality degree of KS is influenced by outcome expectations – personal and
community expectations – and three forms of dimensions of social exchange: structural, relational and
cognitive. The paper ends with a discussion of research findings, its limitations and implications.
Originality/value – As there is still a paucity of research on the determinants of quality degree of KS, the
research adopts a double lens of social capital and social cognitive theories to explore what are these
determinants.