Enhancing Service Quality in Knowledge‐Intensive Service Industries Through Organizational Culture, Knowledge Sharing, and Organizational Agility: Examining the Inhibitory Role of Centralization and Formalization

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the interrelationships among organizational culture (OC), knowledge sharing (KS), organizational agility (OA), centralization, and formalization, and their collective impact on service quality (SQ) from the perspective of knowledge‐intensive service organizations in Iran. It investigates the mediating roles of KS and OA and further examines how formalization and centralization neutralize the relationships between OA and SQ and between KS and SQ, respectively. By focusing on these relationships, the study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these organizational factors can be leveraged to enhance service quality from the organization's viewpoint. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted, and data were collected from full‐service branches of private banks in Iran. The research adopts a mixed‐method design. First, the dimensions of service quality were identified from the organization's perspective using the Delphi method (DM). Next, the relationships among service quality and the other constructs were examined within a comprehensive model using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings indicate that service quality, from the organization's perspective, comprises six dimensions. The results further demonstrate that organizational culture positively influences service quality, with organizational agility and knowledge sharing acting as key mediating variables. In addition, the inhibitory roles of formalization and centralization were confirmed. Specifically, high levels of formalization weaken the positive effect of organizational agility on service quality, while high levels of centralization reduce the positive impact of knowledge sharing on service quality.