Enhanced adoption model for collaborative knowledge sharing in Malaysia halal food industry

Abstract

Collaborative Knowledge Sharing (CKS) is one of the strategies that enable organisations to work together with their internal and external stakeholders. It enables the achievement of common objectives which in turn improves organisational performance. Accordingly, via qualitative phenomenology, this research has explored the ways by which a Halal food organisation adopted CKS. The approach entailed explorations of the CKS practices of respondents’ from one of the main players in the Malaysian Halal food industry which findings contribute to the enhancement of CKS adoption model for the industry. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit the respondents, who consisted of staff from different management levels. Semi-structured face-to-face and over-the-phone interviews have been conducted to collect data. All interview sessions have been recorded using a voice recorder, following which transcription was done so that the text could be analysed using the Atlas.ti software. As per findings, the organisation’s CKS practices were still at pre-adoption stage, meaning that they were still informal and not centralised. However, there were activities that have already been embedded in current policies, examples of which included induction sessions for new staff, trainings, and the audits. Meanwhile, the new requirements set by the external stakeholders (like vendors and customers) provided useful information for product-development. This research has found five factors that helped enhance the CKS adoption model in the Halal food industry: individual, organisational, environmental, technological and non-technological channels, as well as Islamic perspectives. From a practical viewpoint, this study provides the players with valuable information that can assist in strategising for CKS adoption in their organisations.