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The relationship between psychological need satisfaction and motivation is critical for understanding motivated knowledge sharing behaviour. Self-determination theory (SDT) suggests that contexts that support individuals experience of autonomy, competence and relatedness need foster autonomous motivation and enhanced motivated behaviour. The role of context in the psychological need-motivation relationship has yet to be explicitly investigated with respect to knowledge sharing behaviour. Using mixed methods, through two empirical studies, the antecedents, and motivational outcomes of psychological needs in relation to knowledge sharing behaviour, are examined through the lens of SDT. A case study approach was adopted, in the first phase of inquiry. 60 – 90-minute semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 knowledge workers where questions were asked about their knowledge sharing behaviour and experience and analysed through thematic coding, using template analysis. The findings show that psychological need was associated with autonomously motivated knowledge donation. However, psychological needs were also related with controlled motivation, via knowledge collection. The undermining of psychological need was associated with knowledge hiding behaviour. Knowledge sharing initiatives concerned with the quantity of knowledge sharing behaviour, were associated with knowledge overload, the undermining of psychological need and knowledge hoarding behaviour. In the second phase, an online survey study was conducted with 312 knowledge workers and analysed through structural equation modelling with R to test mediation and moderation paths of contextual factors, and individual factors that influence knowledge sharing behaviour. The findings show that need supportive contexts had a positive direct relationship with psychological need satisfaction and an indirect relationship with autonomous motivation, via need satisfaction, with quantitative and qualitative differences in knowledge sharing behaviour. However, in competitive organisational cultures, individuals high in proactive orientation show a lower increase in autonomous motivation and knowledge donation. Task interdependence had an undermining effect on autonomous motivation. Contributions and implications are discussed.
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