How does knowledge sharing create business value in the supply chain platform ecosystem? Unveiling its mediating role in governance mechanisms

Purpose This study aims to explore the crucial role of knowledge sharing within the supply chain platform ecosystem by investigating how supply chain governance mechanisms (contractual, relational and platform) enhance supply chain performance by fostering knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach For data analysis, a hybrid approach combining partial least squares structural equation modeling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis was used. This study was based on a quantitative survey of 333 companies in China, with a utilization rate of 73.7%. Findings The results show that supply chain platform governance promotes both tacit and explicit knowledge sharing. Relational governance supports only tacit knowledge sharing, whereas contractual governance drives only explicit knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing significantly improves supply chain performance and, in many cases, mediates the relationship between supply chain governance mechanisms and performance. A misalignment between governance mechanisms and knowledge sharing hinders performance improvement. Practical implications The research findings suggest that businesses should prioritize both governance mechanisms and knowledge sharing to boost supply chain performance. However, simply having both factors in place does not guarantee success. Companies should tailor these mechanisms and knowledge-sharing practices to their specific needs to avoid mismatches that may have negative consequences. Originality/value Based on the social capital theory, this study expands the existing understanding of supply chain governance, revealing that knowledge sharing mediates the link between supply chain governance mechanisms and performance.