Digital Nudging and Organizational Foresight: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Management Engagement and the Moderating Effect of Trust and Ethical Perceptions

Abstract

The proposed research attempts to explore the effect of digital nudging on knowledge management (KM) processes that facilitate strategic foresight, early-warning systems, as well as organization-wide decision-making, and presents an idea of the conceptual framework that could undergo empirical validation in the future and further quantitative analysis. Organizations are progressively dependent on KM platforms to predict risks, identify weak signals, and direct strategic planning but these systems are not effective because of the problems they face like information overload, inconsistent participation of users and poor utilization of the knowledge. According to the latest research, digital nudges (minor interface messages that trigger user behavior without limiting the choices) can enhance attention, decision-making, and online activity. However, they have not been applied to KM-based foresight and early warning setup, which presents a severe research gap. There are no single theories that can explain all the relevant mechanisms. Choice-architecture / nudge theory should be combined with the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to create a more comprehensive theoretical basis. The quantitative, deductive research design will be used, as per the Saunders Research Onion, where a steered and organized survey and behavioral evidence of organizational KM platforms will be employed. The target audience will be managers, analysts, and employees with knowledge intensive jobs who have frequent access to KM and tools related to foresight. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) will be used to test the relationship hypotheses, mediating effects, and the fit of the entire model. The research provides theoretical implications through the extension of the application of behavioral and knowledge-based theories in the organizational contexts. In practice, it serves as a guide to KM system designing that would contribute to increasing engagement and responsiveness to the strategic aspect of user involvement. Further studies should focus on nudging validation in large scale, longitudinal tests of the long-term effects of nudging, as well as the modulate factors involved in workplace nudging, including digital literacy or organizational support, and ethics.