The mediating effects of work motivation and organizational support on the relationship between knowledge management and environmental law knowledge in Vietnamese commercial banks

Type of the article: Research ArticleThis study examines whether knowledge management practices in commercial banks influence employees’ knowledge of environmental law, providing empirical evidence from Vietnam’s banking sector as an emerging Asian economy. Data were collected from 568 employees across 35 Vietnamese commercial banks in the first quarter of 2025, and the hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that all three knowledge management components (information-sharing systems, a learning-oriented organizational culture, and training and skill development) have positive effects on both work motivation and perceived organizational support. Information-sharing systems exert a strong influence on organizational support (β = 0.188) and work motivation (β = 0.207), while a learning-oriented culture significantly enhances organizational support (β = 0.204) and work motivation (β = 0.165). Training and skill development show the strongest effects on work motivation (β = 0.240) and organizational support (β = 0.185). In turn, work motivation and organizational support directly and positively affect employees’ environmental law knowledge (β = 0.343 and β = 0.363, respectively). Moreover, both variables significantly mediate the relationships between KM components and environmental law knowledge. These findings underscore the relevance of social exchange theory in explaining how effective knowledge management practices enhance employees’ legal knowledge, thereby contributing to more sustainable organizational development. Accordingly, practical implications are proposed for bank managers to strengthen knowledge management implementation.Acknowledgment The authors would like to thank the Editor-in Chief and a reviewer for their helpful comments that in our view have helped to improve the quality of the manuscript significantly. Beside, this study is the result of collaboration between researchers from the University of Law, Hue University, and School of Business and Economics, Duy Tan University. The authors would like to thank both institutions for their support and facilitation in the publication of this research.