The Impact of Organisational Bureaucracy ori the Determinants of Knowledge Acquisition

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to empirically investigate through an industry survey, the impact of organisational bureaucracy on the determinants of knowledge acquisition. The results show that a pyramidical structure has a significant negative effect on the determinants of knowledge acquisition and, by extension, obstruct employees in transferring knowledge from one person to another through sharing experience, dialogue discussions, knoW-how 'exteriorisation' and teaching. The findings also indicate that a less bureaucratic organisational structure serves as a catalyst to knowledge creation and sharing through its effect on the dimensions of communication/problem understanding, organisation/liberal arts, and negotiation/knowledge.