DOI: 10.4018/IRMJ.2019040101 Information Resources Management Journal Volume 32 • Issue 2 • April-June 2019 Copyright © 2019, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. 1 A Symbolic Convergence Perspective for Examining Employee Knowledge Sharing Behaviors in Company- Hosted Virtual Communities Wei-Tsong Wang, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Hui-Hsiang Hung, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan ABSTRACT This article investigates individual knowledge sharing behaviors (KSBs) in company-hosted virtual communities of practice (CVCs), where KSBs are guided mainly by the sense of virtual community (SVC) and the shared meanings that are formed via the recurring communicative patterns and emotional responses in the interpersonal communication processes. The symbolic convergence theory (SCT) addresses the significance of the shared meanings of a social group in facilitating the harmony among and the favorable behaviors of the members of the group. By adopting SCT, the authors examine the effects of SVC and shared-meaning-related factors on KSBs in CVCs. Data collected from 159 CVC participants were analyzed to examine the research model. The authors found that shared language and shared emotional connection significantly influence KSBs both directly and indirectly via SVC. The research findings highlight the importance of achieving shared meaning among individuals in CVCs to encourage interpersonal knowledge sharing via effective communication processes. KEywoRdS Knowledge Sharing Behavior, Sense of Virtual Community, Shared Emotional Connection, Shared Language, Symbolic Convergence Theory 1. INTRodUCTIoN The continuing development and spread of information technologies (IT), particularly the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies has had significant impacts on the management of organizations. One key to successful business operations is thus the effective collection, storage, dissemination, and use of critical information and knowledge via Internet-based IT (Lee, Kim, & Kim, 2006). Among the emerging Web 2.0 technologies, the blossoming of virtual communities of practice enables the efficient exchange and propagation of knowledge and information that can facilitate mutual learning and collaboration for problem solving, regardless of where the people involved are (Colombo-Mendoza, Valencia-García, & Rodríguez-González, Colomo-Palacios, & Alor-Hernández, 2018; Fouladi & Navimipour, 2017; Sun, Fang, & Lim, 2014). Consequently, an increasing number of corporations