Versions
- 2026-07-01 (2)
- 2026-06-30 (1)
Supplementary Files
Keywords
trending topics
bibliometric analysis
network analysis
PRISMA
WOS
SCOPUS
How to Cite
Abstract
This study adopts a rigorous approach to mapping trending topics in the study of knowledge workers to guide researchers in selecting future research. A word network analysis and strategic diagrams were applied to look over the comprehensive database of bibliographic references published in the Web of Science (WOS) and SCOPUS databases from 1977 to 2022, from which 694 articles were selected. The unit analysis was based on the titles, summaries, and keywords. The word network analysis revealed five distinct communities: competitive advantage and organizational performance, work engagement, human resource management, knowledge creation, and work environment, and the strategic map identified three central themes with significant development potential: Competitive advantage, organizational performance, and organizational commitment.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Alavi, M., & Leidner, D. E. (2001). Knowledge management and knowledge management systems: Conceptual foundations and research issues. MIS Quarterly, 25(1), 107-136. https://doi.org/10.2307/3250961
Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959-975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
Assensoh-Kodua, A. (2019). The resource-based view: A tool of key competency for competitive advantage. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 17(3), 143-152. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.17(3).2019.12
Aydogmus, C. (2019). Millennial knowledge workers: The roles of protean career attitudes and psychological empowerment on the relationship between emotional intelligence and subjective career success. Career Development International, 24(4), 297-314. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-06-2018-0165
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands‐resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
Barney, J. B. (1990). The debate between traditional management theory and organizational economics: substantive differences or intergroup conflict? Academy of Management Review, 15(3), 382-393. https://doi.org/10.2307/258014
Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1993). Transformational leadership and organizational culture. Public Administration Quarterly, 112-121. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900699408524907
Bassi, L. J. (1997). Harnessing the power of intellectual capital. Training & Development, 51(12), 25-31. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ555023
Berg, J., & Gmyrek, P. (2023). Automation Hits the Knowledge Worker: ChatGPT and the Future of Work. [SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4458221]. UN Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum),
Blau, P. (2017). Exchange and power in social life. Routledge.
Bolaños, F. (2022). Mapping the Trending Topics of Bibliometric-enhanced Information Retrieval. In CEUR Workshop Proc (Vol. 3230, pp. 61-70). https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3230/paper-08.pdf
Callon, M., Courtial, J.-P., Turner, W. A., & Bauin, S. (1983). From translations to problematic networks: An introduction to co-word analysis. Social Science Information, 22(2), 191-235. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901883022002003
Chandra, T. (2019). Mapping knowledge management system within literatures of creative industry. Journal of Management Information and Decision Sciences, 22(3), 213-222. https://www.abacademies.org/articles/mapping-knowledge-management-system-within-literatures-of-creative-industry-8339.html
Chang, A. H., Bolaños, F., Sanchis-Almenara, M., & Gómez-García, A. R. (2023). Mapping the conceptual structure of ergonomics, musculoskeletal disorders, treatment and return to work in manual jobs: A systematic review. Work(Preprint), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-220611
Charalampous, M., Grant, C. A., Tramontano, C., & Michailidis, E. (2019). Systematically reviewing remote e-workers’ well-being at work: A multidimensional approach. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 28(1), 51-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2018.1541886
Cobo, M. J., López-Herrera, A. G., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2011). An approach for detecting, quantifying, and visualizing the evolution of a research field: A practical application to the Fuzzy Sets Theory field. Journal of Informetrics, 5(1), 146-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2010.10.002
Cobo, M. J., López‐Herrera, A. G., Herrera‐Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2012). SciMAT: A new science mapping analysis software tool. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(8), 1609-1630. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22688
Davenport, T. H. (2005). Thinking for a living: how to get better performances and results from knowledge workers. Harvard Business Press. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216769
Davis, J. M. (2013). Leveraging the IT competence of non-IS workers: social exchange and the good corporate citizen. European Journal of Information Systems, 22, 403-415. https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2012.36
Deci, E. L., Olafsen, A. H., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory in work organizations: The state of a science. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 19-43. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113108
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The" what" and" why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Delery, J. E., & Doty, D. H. (1996). Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource management: Tests of universalistic, contingency, and configurational performance predictions. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 802-835. https://doi.org/10.2307/256713
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11419809/
Ding, Y., Chowdhury, G. G., & Foo, S. (2001). Bibliometric cartography of information retrieval research by using co-word analysis. Information Processing & Management, 37(6), 817-842. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4573(00)00051-0
Drucker, P. (2001). Knowledge Worker Productivity. California Management Revue, 41(2), 45-49. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165987
Drucker, P. (2012). Post-capitalist society. Routledge.
Eck, N. J. v., & Waltman, L. (2009). How to normalize cooccurrence data? An analysis of some well‐known similarity measures. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 60(8), 1635-1651. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21075
Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.71.3.500
Emerson, R. M. (1976). Social exchange theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 2, 335-362. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.02.080176.002003
Farkas, M. F., & Török, G. (2011). Knowledge workers, competencies, virtuality and management. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 4(2), 67-77. https://pjms.zim.pcz.pl/resources/html/article/details?id=187061&language=en
Farooq Sahibzada, U., Xu, Y., Afshan, G., & Khalid, R. (2021). Knowledge-oriented leadership towards organizational performance: symmetrical and asymmetrical approach. Business Process Management Journal, 27(6), 1720-1746. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-03-2021-0125
Ferreira, J. J., Fernandes, C. I., Guo, Y., & Rammal, H. G. (2022). Knowledge worker mobility and knowledge management in MNEs: A bibliometric analysis and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 142, 464-475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.056
Foss, N. J., Minbaeva, D. B., Pedersen, T., & Reinholt, M. (2009). Encouraging knowledge sharing among employees: How job design matters. Human Resource Management, 48(6), 871-893. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20320
Gagné, M., Tian, A. W., Soo, C., Zhang, B., Ho, K. S. B., & Hosszu, K. (2019). Different motivations for knowledge sharing and hiding: The role of motivating work design. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(7), 783-799. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2364
Gold, A. H., Malhotra, A., & Segars, A. H. (2001). Knowledge management: An organizational capabilities perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 18(1), 185-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2001.11045669
Grant, R. M. (1996a). Prospering in dynamically-competitive environments: Organizational capability as knowledge integration. Organization Science, 7(4), 375-387. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.7.4.375
Grant, R. M. (1996b). Toward a knowledge‐based theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(S2), 109-122. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250171110
Handzic, M., Edwards, J. S., Moffett, S., Garcia-Perez, A., Kianto, A., & Bolisani, E. (2017). Five Ws and one H in knowledge management education. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 47(4), 438-453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.09.112
Homans, G. C. (1958). Social behavior as exchange. American Journal of Sociology, 63(6), 597-606. https://doi.org/10.1086/222355
Hosseini, E., Saeida Ardekani, S., Sabokro, M., & Salamzadeh, A. (2022). The study of knowledge employee voice among the knowledge-based companies: the case of an emerging economy. Revista de Gestão, 29(2), 117-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/REGE-03-2021-0037
Huselid, M. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 635-672. https://doi.org/10.2307/256741
Issahaka, A. W., & Lines, R. (2021). Research literature on leadership of knowledge workers: where are we, and where should we be heading? Journal of Intellectual Capital, 22(1), 122-148. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-10-2019-0240
Khan, M. M., Mubarik, M. S., Islam, T., Rehman, A., Ahmed, S. S., Khan, E., & Sohail, F. (2022). How servant leadership triggers innovative work behavior: exploring the sequential mediating role of psychological empowerment and job crafting. European Journal of Innovation Management, 25(4), 1037-1055. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-09-2020-0367
Kristof, A. L. (1996). Person‐organization fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, measurement, and implications. Personnel Psychology, 49(1), 1-49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1996.tb01790.x
Kucharska, W. (2021). Leadership, culture, intellectual capital and knowledge processes for organizational innovativeness across industries: the case of Poland. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 22(7), 121-141. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-02-2021-0047
Kucharska, W., & Erickson, G. S. (2019). The influence of IT-competency dimensions on job satisfaction, knowledge sharing and performance across industries. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 50(3), 387-407. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-06-2019-0098
Lakshman, C., Rai, S., & Lakshman, S. (2022). Knowledge sharing, organizational commitment and turnover intention among knowledge workers: a knowledge-based perspective. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 16(5), 768-785. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-07-2020-0277
Latilla, V. M., Frattini, F., Petruzzelli, A. M., & Berner, M. (2018). Knowledge management, knowledge transfer and organizational performance in the arts and crafts industry: a literature review. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(6), 1310-1331. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2017-0367
Lin, C.-P., Huang, H.-T., & Huang, T. Y. (2020). The effects of responsible leadership and knowledge sharing on job performance among knowledge workers. Personnel Review, 49(9), 1879-1896. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-12-2018-0527
Lloyd, B. (1996). Knowledge management: the key to long-term organizational success. Long Range Planning, 29(4), 576-580. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-6301(96)00052-0
Lombardi, R., Trequattrini, R., Cuozzo, B., & Paoloni, P. (2020). Knowledge transfer in the football industry: a sectorial analysis of factors and determinants. Management Decision, 58(9), 1909-1927. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-08-2019-1100
Majeed, Z. (2009). A review of HR practices in knowledge‐intensive firms and MNEs: 2000‐2006. Journal of European Industrial Training, 33(5), 439-456. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590910966580
Memon, K. R., & Ghani, B. (2020). The relationship between psychological contract and voice behavior—a social exchange perspective. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 9(2), 257-274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-020-00109-4
Moulik, M., & Giri, V. (2022). Impact of increasing social resources on work engagement and affective organizational commitment: The mediating role of person–job fit. Management and Labour Studies, 47(1), 59-73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0258042X2110261
Muhammed, S., & Zaim, H. (2020). Peer knowledge sharing and organizational performance: the role of leadership support and knowledge management success. Journal of Knowledge Management, 24(10), 2455-2489. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2020-0227
Natek, S., & Lesjak, D. (2021). Knowledge management systems and tacit knowledge. International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 29(2), 166-180. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJIL.2021.112994
Ng, P. M., Lit, K. K., & Cheung, C. T. (2022). Remote work as a new normal? The technology-organization-environment (TOE) context. Technology in Society, 70, 102022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.102022
Nonaka, l., Takeuchi, H., & Umemoto, K. (1996). A theory of organizational knowledge creation. International Journal of Technology Management, 11(7-8), 833-845. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTM.1996.025472
Óskarsdóttir, H. G., Oddsson, G. V., Sturluson, J. Þ., & Sæmundsson, R. J. (2022). Towards a holistic framework of knowledge worker productivity. Administrative Sciences, 12(2), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12020050
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., & Brennan, S. E. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. International Journal of Surgery, 88, 105906. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Palvalin, M. (2019). What matters for knowledge work productivity? Employee Relations, 41(1), 209-227. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-04-2017-0091
Petrov, V., Ćelić, Đ., Uzelac, Z., & Drašković, Z. (2020). Specific influence of knowledge intensive and capital intensive organizations on collaborative climate and knowledge sharing in SMEs. Strategic Management-International Journal of Strategic Management and Decision Support Systems in Strategic Management, 25(1), 3-11. https://www.smjournal.rs/index.php/home/article/view/81
Petruzzelli, A. M., & Savino, T. (2014). Search, recombination, and innovation: Lessons from haute cuisine. Long Range Planning, 47(4), 224-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2012.09.001
Ragab, M. A., & Arisha, A. (2013). Knowledge management and measurement: a critical review. Journal of Knowledge Management, 17(6), 873-901. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-12-2012-0381
Ranasinghe, S. B., & Dharmadasa, P. (2013). Intention to knowledge sharing: from planned behavior and psychological needs perspectives. International Journal of Knowledge Management (IJKM), 9(4), 33-50. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijkm.2013100103
Rao, I., & Thakur, P. (2019). Knowledge workers, organisational ambidexterity and sustainability: A conceptual framework. International Journal of Business Excellence, 19(3), 415-428. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBEX.2019.102832
Reindl, C., Lanwehr, R., & Kopinski, T. (2022). The hybrid office: a case study of designing work environments for new ways of working. Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift fur Angewandte Organisationspsychologie. https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/global-literature-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/resource/pt/covidwho-1844455
Rounak, S., & Misra, R. K. (2022). Features of Vitamin Model Affecting Psychological Empowerment-Serial Mediation Role of Job Crafting and Work Engagement. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 15(8). https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2022/v15i8/171525
Settoon, R. P., Bennett, N., & Liden, R. C. (1996). Social exchange in organizations: Perceived organizational support, leader–member exchange, and employee reciprocity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(3), 219. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.81.3.219
Sheidaee, S., Philsoophian, M., & Akhavan, P. (2022). The effect of intra-organizational knowledge hiding on employee turnover intentions: the mediating role of organizational embeddedness: a case study of knowledge workers of IRIB. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 9(3), 422-448. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-05-2021-0131
Sheldon, K. M., Turban, D. B., Brown, K. G., Barrick, M. R., & Judge, T. A. (2003). Applying self-determination theory to organizational research. In Research in personnel and human resources management (pp. 357-393). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Shujahat, M., Wang, M., Ali, M., Bibi, A., Razzaq, S., & Durst, S. (2021). Idiosyncratic job-design practices for cultivating personal knowledge management among knowledge workers in organizations. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(4), 770-795. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2020-0232
Singh, A. K., & Sharma, V. (2011). Knowledge management antecedents and its impact on employee satisfaction: A study on Indian telecommunication industries. The Learning Organization, 18(2), 115-130. https://doi.org/10.1108/09696471111103722
Subramani, M., Wagle, M., Ray, G., & Gupta, A. (2021). Capability Development through Just-in-Time Access to Knowledge in Document Repositories: A Longitudinal Examination of Technical Problem Solving. MIS Quarterly, 45(3). https://aisel.aisnet.org/misq/vol45/iss3/12/
Tapasco-Alzate, O. A., Giraldo-García, J., & Ramírez-Ramírez, D. (2022). Productivity metrics in the context of knowledge work: literature vs practice. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 71(7), 3030-3055. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-05-2020-0219
Turulja, L., & Delalic, E. (2021). How Companies Should Manage Their Human Resources to Respond to the Disruptive Innovation Brought About by the Sharing Economy. Journal of East European Management Studies, 26(4), 738-760. https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/global-literature-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/resource/pt/covidwho-1643811
van Ingen, R., De Ruiter, M., Peters, P., Kodden, B., & Robben, H. (2021). Engaging through purpose: the mediating role of person–organizational purpose fit in the relationship between perceived organizational purpose and work engagement. MREV Management Revue, 32(2), 85-105. https://ideas.repec.org/a/nms/mamere/10.5771-0935-9915-2021-2-85.html
Vasiliev, Y. (2020). Natural language processing with Python and spaCy: A practical introduction. No Starch Press.
Wang, H.-K., Yen, Y.-F., & Tseng, J.-F. (2015). Knowledge sharing in knowledge workers: The roles of social exchange theory and the theory of planned behavior. Innovation, 17(4), 450-465. https://doi.org/10.1080/14479338.2015.1129283
Wayne, S. J., Shore, L. M., & Liden, R. C. (1997). Perceived organizational support and leader-member exchange: A social exchange perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 40(1), 82-111. https://doi.org/10.2307/257021
Wiig, K. M. (1997). Knowledge management: an introduction and perspective. Journal of Knowledge Management, 1(1), 6-14. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673279710800682
Witt, L. A. (1991). Exchange ideology as a moderator of job attitudes‐organizational citizenship behaviors relationships. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 21(18), 1490-1501. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1991.tb00483.x
Wojtczuk-Turek, A. (2022). Who needs transformational leadership to craft their job? The role of work engagement and personal values. Baltic Journal of Management, 17(5), 654-670. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-04-2022-0170
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179-201. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2001.4378011
Wu, W., & Yu, L. (2022). How does personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology promote knowledge workers’ innovative work behavior? Information & Management, 59(6), 103688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2022.103688
Zhang-Zhang, Y., Rohlfer, S., & Varma, A. (2022). Strategic people management in contemporary highly dynamic VUCA contexts: A knowledge worker perspective. Journal of Business Research, 144, 587-598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.069
Zhang, Z., & Min, M. (2021). Organizational rewards and knowledge hiding: task attributes as contingencies. Management Decision, 59(10), 2385-2404. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-02-2020-0150
Zhao, J. L., Li, X. H., & Shields, J. (2022). Optimizing the relationship between job autonomy and knowledge workers’ satisfaction: The roles of crafting and value congruence. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 60(3), 608-631. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12278
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 María Elizabeth Arteaga García