Knowledge sharing is widely regarded as the process underpinning knowledge management in organizations. The dissemination of knowledge so that all benefit from shared know-how is seen to greatly enhance working capability. Nevertheless, we suggest the sharing perspective can mean a somewhat restricted view of how knowledge workers relate to and use knowledge and that focusing on knowledge exchange affords a better understanding of the processes that prefigure sharing. In particular, we revisit a classic social exchange theory in the framework of gift relations that Mauss developed. Applying ideas of gift-giving to knowledge transfer invokes a complex economy of reciprocation and obligation taking account of a wide range of knowledge categories. Through a study of knowledge work in multinational settings, we demonstrate specific propositions consistent with a Maussian approach: knowledge reciprocity, interplay between sharing and withholding knowledge and knowledge use.
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