Organisational Change and Knowledge-Sharing Strategies in Managing Risks

Introduction

Change is a prevalent aspect that happens over time in an organisation to keep up with the ever-changing times purpose of efficiency and effectiveness. However, the idea of change creates uncertainties, a recognised outcome of organisational change which could affect employees in the organisation (Allen, Jimmieson, Bordia & Irmer, 2007). For instance, employees might not be able to cope with the changes that could lead to the inability to execute assigned tasks properly or reach expected responsibilities effectively. As a result, the employees within the organisation would not be able to support the organisational goals. This is also supported by Bordia, Hobman, Jones and Gallois (2004), who argued that uncertainty could create a psychological tension that may affect promotion opportunities, training and coaching processes or stress levels in the employees. Thus, rectifying any potential issues that may come from organisational change is important. For one, practicing effective communication is recommended to combat such issues. Smooth facilitation of communication is not only essential, but also allows discussion with employees that surrounds the level of acceptance and issues that may arrive from the change (Husain, 2013; Landaeta, Mun, Rabadi & Levin, 2008). In the present study, the Lewin’s Change Management model (1947) was used to assess the role of communication in making employees ready during the change processes.

Knowledge sharing is identified as an important catalyst for change processes from the unfreezing stage to the moving stage (Hussain et al. 2018; Anshari et al., 2016). Understanding and capitalising knowledge and it’s sharing process between employees is not only able to help organisations achieve success, but would also help achieve a holistic comprehension of knowledge sharing in the organisation (Ipe, 2003; Ordoñez de Pablos, 2023). The aim of the current research is to investigate whether knowledge sharing could be used as a platform in easing channeling for effective communication among employees in terms of their readiness to changes. Following the research aim, the objectives of the research are to find out what factors influence employees’ communication that could ensure readiness during change, and to find out the role of knowledge sharing as a potential platform in communication in facilitating organisational change.