Purpose – For decades, Vietnamese universities have been criticized for producing low quality training and research outputs. This study tries to investigate the influence of organisational culture, leadership style, human resource practices, technology support and job characteristics on the knowledge sharing behaviour of academic and administrative staff in Vietnamese universities. Findings from this study are expected to help university management understand better the enabling factors of knowledge sharing behaviour in universities and therefore can develop relevant policies to promote knowledge sharing among lecturers/researchers to advance the quality of teaching and research activities in universities. Design/methodology/approach – Six research hypotheses related to the relationships between culture, leadership style, HR practices, technology support, job demands and knowledge sharing behaviour were formulated in this study. To test the hypotheses, the authors developed the measures based on the works of previous researchers as well as on their own reflections. The sample used for this study consists of 123 lecturers and supporting staffs working in ten universities in Hanoi. A multiple regression was applied to investigate the relationships between the six independent variables and the dependent variable (knowledge sharing behaviour). Age, job category, position, gender, working experiences were used as control variables in the regression analysis. Originality/value – This study reveals some interesting results related to the nonsignificant association between culture, reward and the knowledge sharing behaviour of individuals in university context. This unexpected finding is however consistent with the results of some studies in the existing literature which also failed to prove the influence of culture and reward on knowledge sharing. The role of leadership style and IT support on the knowledge sharing behaviour of individuals in organisations is confirmed by this study, however when only lecturers are considered as research sample, leadership style loses importance in terms of its influence on knowledge sharing behaviour. Practical implications – Findings from this study suggest that job demands; training and development; and technology support are the strongest drivers for the knowledge sharing behaviour of lecturers in universities. University management should therefore pay due attention to these aspects to promote knowledge sharing among lecturers/researchers, thus enhancing the “intelligence” of the university. For example, by providing lecturers with regular training opportunities and access to a strong IT system/knowledge base of the university, the later will demonstrate a stronger knowledge sharing behaviour.
Keywords – Knowledge sharing behaviour, Culture, Leadership, HR practices, Technology