Knowledge sharing and organizational continuance commitment as antecedents of design management strategic contributions: evidence from French digital creative agencies

Purpose This article examines the estimated direct effects of knowledge donating, knowledge collecting and organizational continuance commitment on designers' perceptions of design management strategic contributions in digital creative agencies. The model links knowledge sharing behaviors, cost-based organizational attachment and selected design management outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis draws on survey data from 111 user experience/user interface (UX/UI) designers working in design agencies in France. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The estimated direct effects on design management strategic contributions differ across the three predictors. Knowledge collecting has a statistically significant negative effect, knowledge donating has a positive but not statistically significant effect and organizational continuance commitment has a statistically significant positive effect. Practical implications Managers in design agencies should distinguish knowledge exchange from the organizational use of knowledge. Project routines should make visible whether accessed or donated knowledge is translated, coordinated and used in design management activities. Agency-specific knowledge also should be retained and made available across projects. Originality/value The analysis distinguishes access to others' knowledge from making one's own knowledge available in relation to selected design management outcomes. The negative, counter-hypothesized effect of knowledge collecting on design management strategic contributions challenges a uniformly favorable view of knowledge collecting in design-intensive settings. The positive organizational continuance commitment–design management strategic contributions path adds cost-based attachment to the direct antecedents examined for designers' perceptions of design-related strategic contributions.