Worker knowledge sharing in the Brazilian glass sector

Abstract

Drawing on insights from four plants with different levels of production volume, variety and automation in the Brazilian glass sector, this paper compares blue- and white-collar employee perspectives on the relative importance ascribed to factors enabling worker tacit knowledge sharing on the shop floor. The extent to which managerial and workers perspectives are congruent is still fairly scantly explored in the literature. A total of 20 months of field research entailing group interviews and a questionnaire (n = 398) analysed via analytic hierarchy process (AHP) reveal that socialisation, incentives, training, and communication are key enabling factors of knowledge sharing. Managers recognise the relevance of employee socialisation, and relate productivity concerns to internalisation practices. By highlighting contrasting viewpoints among blue and white-collars, we support better understanding of effective factors which facilitate a favourable context for knowledge sharing to guide operations management towards stronger involvement of blue-collar workers in the context of digital transformation.