The Opening "Black Box" between Conflict and Knowledge Sharing: A Psychological Engagement Theory Perspective

Previous research indicated that task conflict benefits knowledge sharing within organization, whereas relationship conflict damages it. However, little is known about the underlying psychological process by which task and relationship conflicts have distinct effects on knowledge sharing. In this study, we aim to open the "black box" in the relationship between conflict and knowledge sharing. This paper presents a mediational model of knowledge sharing and tests how three psychological states (psychological meaningfulness, availability, and safety) and knowledge workers' engagement mediate the effects of two types of conflict on knowledge sharing. Results of a study of 144 knowledge workers showed that task conflicts have positive effects on three psychological states, while relationship conflicts have negative effects. Furthermore, three psychological states affected workers' engagement and knowledge sharing behaviors. The results supported an integrative perspective on how workers' psychological processes affected workers' knowledge sharing behavior in different conflict contexts.

[1]  James K. Harter,et al.  Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: a meta-analysis. , 2002, The Journal of applied psychology.

[2]  Barry M. Staw,et al.  Threat-rigidity effects in organizational behavior: A multilevel analysis. , 1981 .

[3]  C. Dreu.  When Too Little or Too Much Hurts: Evidence for a Curvilinear Relationship Between Task Conflict and Innovation in Teams , 2006 .

[4]  K. Jehn.  ENHANCING EFFECTIVENESS: AN INVESTIGATION OF ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF VALUE‐BASED INTRAGROUP CONFLICT , 1994 .

[5]  Mark Rubin,et al.  Intergroup bias. , 2002, Annual review of psychology.

[6]  Michael R. Mullen.  Diagnosing Measurement Equivalence in Cross-National Research , 1995 .

[7]  Bianca Beersma,et al.  Conflict in organizations: Beyond effectiveness and performance , 2005, Conflict in Organizations: Beyond Effectiveness and Performance.

[8]  E. Mannix,et al.  The Dynamic Nature of Conflict: A Longitudinal Study of Intragroup Conflict and Group Performance. , 2001 .

[9]  Arthur P. Brief,et al.  The Meaning of Occupational Work: A Collection of Essays. , 1991 .

[10]  Scott B. MacKenzie,et al.  Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. , 2003, The Journal of applied psychology.

[11]  Jonathon N. Cummings.  Work Groups, Structural Diversity, and Knowledge Sharing in a Global Organization , 2004, Manag. Sci..

[12]  Robert A. Baron,et al.  Positive effects of conflict: A cognitive perspective , 1991 .

[13]  Robert Albanese,et al.  Rational Behavior in Groups: The Free-Riding Tendency , 1985 .

[14]  Niki Panteli,et al.  Trust and conflict within virtual inter-organizational alliances: a framework for facilitating knowledge sharing , 2005, Decis. Support Syst..

[15]  Traci Carte,et al.  A Capabilities-Based Theory of Technology Deployment in Diverse Teams: Leapfrogging the Pitfalls of Diversity and Leveraging Its Potential with Collaborative Technology , 2004, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[16]  William A. Kahn.  Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work , 1990 .

[17]  S. Sonnentag.  Recovery, work engagement, and proactive behavior: a new look at the interface between nonwork and work. , 2003, The Journal of applied psychology.

[18]  Kenneth H. Price,et al.  Process and Outcome Expectations for the Dialectical Inquiry, Devil's Advocacy, and Consensus Techniques of Strategic Decision Making , 1991 .

[19]  Annelies E. M. Van Vianen,et al.  Managing relationship conflict and the effectiveness of organizational teams , 2001 .

[20]  R. Peterson,et al.  Task Conflict snd Relationship Conflict in Top Management Teams:The Pivotal Role of Intragroup Trust. , 1998 .

[21]  Steven P. Brown,et al.  A new look at psychological climate and its relationship to job involvement, effort, and performance. , 1996, The Journal of applied psychology.

[22]  Jagdip Singh,et al.  Measurement Issues in Cross-National Research , 1995 .

[23]  C. D. De Dreu,et al.  Task versus relationship conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction: a meta-analysis. , 2003, The Journal of applied psychology.

[24]  Hsiu-Fen Lin,et al.  Effects of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on employee knowledge sharing intentions , 2007, J. Inf. Sci..

[25]  Terry S. Overton,et al.  Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys , 1977 .

[26]  Lin Lu,et al.  Managerial Knowledge Sharing: The Role of Individual, Interpersonal, and Organizational Factors , 2006, Management and Organization Review.

[27]  C. Fornell,et al.  Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error , 1981 .

[28]  A. Bakker,et al.  Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: a multi‐sample study , 2004 .

[29]  L. H. Pelled.  Demographic Diversity, Conflict, and Work Group Outcomes: An Intervening Process Theory , 1996 .

[30]  K. Jehn.  A Multimethod Examination of the Benefits and Detriments of Intragroup Conflict , 1995 .

[31]  Allen C. Amason.  Distinguishing the Effects of Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict on Strategic Decision Making: Resolving a Paradox for Top Management Teams , 1996 .

[32]  D. Sandy Staples,et al.  The use of collaborative electronic media for information sharing: an exploratory study of determinants , 2000, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[33]  J. H. Dyer,et al.  Creating and managing a high‐performance knowledge‐sharing network: the Toyota case , 2000 .

[34]  Sheng Wu,et al.  Exploring Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Teams: A Social Exchange Theory Perspective , 2006, Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'06).

[35]  Douglas R. May,et al.  The psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability and the engagement of the human spirit at work , 2004 .

[36]  A. Edmondson.  Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams , 1999 .

[37]  Jonathon N. Cummings,et al.  The Spatial, Temporal, and Configurational Characteristics of Geographic Dispersion in Teams , 2007, MIS Q..

[38]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  Behavioral Intention Formation in Knowledge Sharing: Examining the Roles of Extrinsic Motivators, Social-Psychological Factors, and Organizational Climate , 2005, MIS Q..

[39]  Clive J. Fullagar,et al.  Meanings of occupational work: A collection of essays. Arthur P. Brief and Walter R. Nord (Eds), Lexington Books, Lexington, MA, 1990 , 1994 .

[40]  Jae-Nam Lee,et al.  The impact of knowledge sharing, organizational capability and partnership quality on IS outsourcing success , 2001, Inf. Manag..

[41]  Atreyi Kankanhalli,et al.  Contributing Knowledge to Electronic Knowledge Repositories: An Empirical Investigation , 2005, MIS Q..

[42]  Samer Faraj,et al.  Why Should I Share? Examining Social Capital and Knowledge Contribution in Electronic Networks of Practice , 2005, MIS Q..

[43]  FarajSamer,et al.  Why should i share? examining social capital and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice , 2005 .