Employee attitudes to information sharing: a case study at the European Central Bank

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions and attitudes of employees towards information sharing as well as the possible reasons behind these attitudes in the specific organizational context of the European Central Bank (ECB). Design/methodology/approach Data obtained in interviews with seven employees were analyzed using the grounded theory technique of constant comparative analysis. Categories, their sub‐categories, attributes and dimensions were used to group data about related concepts and these groupings, and the emerging relations between categories, were linked to theoretical questions regarding the perceptions and attitudes of information sharing amongst ECB employees. Findings The employees interviewed acknowledged the advantages of information sharing and expressed the need for greater access to information as well as more open communication with colleagues. The fear of disruptive intrusions to the creative process and the influence of personality and national culture on the willingness to share were raised by some interviewees. The participants' perceptions of the organizational support to information sharing and their possible influence on employees' attitudes to share with colleagues also emerged. Research limitations/implications Validity of findings would benefit from the use of additional data collection methods; observation or the use of focus groups could provide data that would not normally be obtained in the interview setting. Quantitative methods could be used to measure the impact of some of the elements identified. Practical implications Organizations need to take into account a number of factors that may enhance or inhibit information sharing behaviours. Employees seem to be inclined to adopt information practices that would contribute to improving efficiency but the unambiguous support of the management and the organization to such practices seems to be crucial to their success. Originality/value The descriptions obtained through the interviews provide a rich picture of different elements, from diverse perspectives, that influence the current information sharing attitudes of employees in the case study organization. This constitutes a first step in the integration of theoretical accounts of information sharing previously studied independently from each other.

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