Pathways to individual performance: Examining the interplay between knowledge bases and repository kms use

Abstract The aims of this study are to gain further insight into the contingent performance effects of repository knowledge management systems (KMS) use. While prior research has laid the foundations, a nuanced understanding of the interplay between the individual's personal and social knowledge bases and KMS usage behaviors is missing. Drawing from prior information systems literature, we identify two components of KMS use, usage frequency and usage intensity. We examine the influence of knowledge bases on individual performance, and the moderating influence of the usage behaviors. We test the hypothesized research model on usage and performance data from 18,219 real estate agents. We find support for different pathways to individual performance based on configurations of knowledge bases and usage behavior. Overall, the study provides an integrated view of the interplay between the three constituents of technology-based learning – cognition, behavior, and performance.

[1]  Herbert A. Simon,et al.  Information-Processing Theory of Human Problem Solving , 1978 .

[2]  Elizabeth Haseltine,et al.  Metamemory , 2021, Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior.

[3]  John Sweller,et al.  Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning , 1988, Cogn. Sci..

[4]  Helen S. Du,et al.  Learning With Weblogs: Enhancing Cognitive and Social Knowledge Construction , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

[5]  K. Hewett,et al.  A Multi-Theoretical Model of Knowledge Transfer in Organizations: Determinants of Knowledge Contribution and Knowledge Reuse , 2006 .

[6]  David A. Hofmann.  An Overview of the Logic and Rationale of Hierarchical Linear Models , 1997 .

[7]  Michael H. Zack,et al.  Managing Codified Knowledge , 1999 .

[8]  Vicky Arnold,et al.  Use of Knowledge Management Systems and the Impact on the Acquisition of Explicit Knowledge , 2008, J. Inf. Syst..

[9]  Rosemary J. Stevenson,et al.  Navigation in hyperspace: An evaluation of the effects of navigational tools and subject matter expertise on browsing and information retrieval in hypertext , 1998, Interact. Comput..

[10]  Alan R. Dennis,et al.  Profiting from Knowledge Management: The Impact of Time and Experience , 2011, Inf. Syst. Res..

[11]  Atreyi Kankanhalli,et al.  Special Issue on: Knowledge Management in Asia Understanding Seeking from Electronic Knowledge Repositories: , 2022 .

[12]  Anthony S. Bryk,et al.  Hierarchical Linear Models: Applications and Data Analysis Methods , 1992 .

[13]  J. Ruiz Moreno.  [Organizational learning]. , 2001, Revista de enfermeria.

[14]  M. Polanyi.  Chapter 7 – The Tacit Dimension , 1997 .

[15]  Viswanath Venkatesh,et al.  Predicting Different Conceptualizations of System Use: The Competing Roles of Behavioral Intention, Facilitating Conditions, and Behavioral Expectation , 2008, MIS Q..

[16]  M. Lubatkin,et al.  Proposing and Testing an Intellectual Capital-Based View of the Firm , 2006 .

[17]  Roderick E. White,et al.  Reflections on The 2009 AMR Decade Award: Do We Have A Theory of Organizational Learning? , 2011 .

[18]  A. Ramos-Rodríguez,et al.  What you know or who you know? The role of intellectual and social capital in opportunity recognition , 2010, 2401.17448.

[19]  Alexandra Durcikova,et al.  The Role of Knowledge Repositories in Technical Support Environments: Speed Versus Learning in User Performance , 2005, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[20]  Teresa D. Harrison,et al.  OLS and IV estimation of regression models including endogenous interaction terms , 2019 .

[21]  Robin S. Poston,et al.  Effective Use of Knowledge Management Systems: A Process Model of Content Ratings and Credibility Indicators , 2005, MIS Q..

[22]  Lawrence A. Gordon,et al.  Information overload: A temporal approach☆ , 1990 .

[23]  Hazel Hall,et al.  Applications and applicability of Social Cognitive Theory in information science research , 2019, J. Libr. Inf. Sci..

[24]  Ronald W. Henderson,et al.  Self-regulated learning: Implications for the design of instructional media☆ , 1986 .

[25]  Ana Cristina Costa,et al.  Work team trust and effectiveness , 2003 .

[26]  Ramiro Montealegre,et al.  Information Technology Use as a Learning Mechanism: The Impact of IT Use on Knowledge Transfer Effectiveness, Absorptive Capacity, and Franchisee Performance , 2015, MIS Q..

[27]  Paul R. Carlile,et al.  A Pragmatic View of Knowledge and Boundaries: Boundary Objects in New Product Development , 2002, Organ. Sci..

[28]  Ramkrishnan V. Tenkasi,et al.  P ERSPECTIVE M AKING AND P ERSPECTIVE T AKING IN C OMMUNITIES OF K NOWING , 2000 .

[29]  Kwok Kee Wei,et al.  Social relationship and its role in knowledge management systems usage , 2009, Inf. Manag..

[30]  Ewan Ferlie,et al.  The appropriation of new organizational forms within networks of practice: Founder and founder-related ideological power , 2007 .

[31]  Robert E. Kraut,et al.  When Does Repository KMS Use Lift Performance? The Role of Alternative Knowledge Sources and Task Environments , 2016, MIS Q..

[32]  Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa,et al.  The Use of Information Technology to Enhance Management School Education: A Theoretical View , 1995, MIS Q..

[33]  Andrew McAfee,et al.  Enterprise 2.0: the dawn of emergent collaboration , 2006, IEEE Engineering Management Review.

[34]  Z. Torres,et al.  Fortalecimiento de los procesos de gestión del conocimiento en los grupos de investigación de los departamentos de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Estudio de caso: Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica , 2020 .

[35]  Noshir S. Contractor,et al.  A multidimensional network approach to studying team members' information seeking from human and digital knowledge sources in consulting firms , 2011, J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol..

[36]  Mark Thompson,et al.  Structural and Epistemic Parameters in Communities of Practice , 2005, Organ. Sci..

[37]  B. Zimmerman.  Becoming a Self-Regulated Learner: An Overview , 2002 .

[38]  Morten T. Hansen,et al.  When using knowledge can hurt performance: the value of organizational capabilities in a management consulting company , 2005 .

[39]  Gabriel Szulanski.  The Process of Knowledge Transfer: A Diachronic Analysis of Stickiness , 2000 .

[40]  Thompson S. H. Teo,et al.  Knowledge portals in Chinese consulting firms: a task–technology fit perspective , 2008, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[41]  Franz Emanuel Weinert,et al.  Quality of instruction and achievement outcomes , 1989 .

[42]  John R. Anderson,et al.  The role of examples and rules in the acquisition of a cognitive skill. , 1997, Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition.

[43]  Chunke Su,et al.  Who Knows Who Knows What in the Group? The Effects of Communication Network Centralities, Use of Digital Knowledge Repositories, and Work Remoteness on Organizational Members’ Accuracy in Expertise Recognition , 2012, Commun. Res..

[44]  Micha Popper,et al.  The Mystification of Organizational Learning , 2005 .

[45]  Rajiv Kohli,et al.  Performance Impacts of Information Technology: Is Actual Usage the Missing Link? , 2003, Manag. Sci..

[46]  Ann Majchrzak,et al.  Perceived Individual Collaboration Know-How Development Through Information Technology-Enabled Contextualization: Evidence from Distributed Teams , 2005, Inf. Syst. Res..

[47]  Robin Teigland,et al.  Knowledge transfer in MNCs: Examining how intrinsic motivations and knowledge sourcing impact individual centrality and performance , 2009 .

[48]  R. H. Myers.  Classical and modern regression with applications , 1986 .

[49]  P. Pintrich.  The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. , 2000 .

[50]  Andrew Burton-Jones,et al.  From Use to Effective Use: A Representation Theory Perspective , 2013, Inf. Syst. Res..

[51]  Philip H. Winne,et al.  Inherent details in self-regulated learning , 1995 .

[52]  Peter H. Gray,et al.  Social Influence and Knowledge Management Systems Use: Evidence from Panel Data , 2013, MIS Q..

[53]  Emmanuelle Vaast,et al.  What Goes Online Comes Offline: Knowledge Management System Use in a Soft Bureaucracy , 2007 .

[54]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation , 1991 .

[55]  Juliana Sutanto,et al.  Knowledge seekers' and contributors' reactions to recommendation mechanisms in knowledge management systems , 2013, Inf. Manag..

[56]  A. Bandura.  Social cognitive theory of personality. , 1999 .

[57]  B. Kogut,et al.  Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and the Replication of Technology , 1992 .

[58]  Kishore Sengupta,et al.  Deus ex machina? Career progress and the contingent benefits of knowledge management systems , 2014 .

[59]  Michelle Shumate,et al.  The Impact of Communal Knowledge Repositories and People-Based Knowledge Management on Perceptions of Team Effectiveness , 2007 .

[60]  Barry J. Zimmerman,et al.  Self-Regulation Differences during Athletic Practice by Experts, Non-Experts, and Novices , 2001 .

[61]  Brent J. Bowman.  Building Knowledge Management Systems , 2002, Inf. Syst. Manag..

[62]  Katja Zboralski,et al.  Antecedents of knowledge sharing in communities of practice , 2009, J. Knowl. Manag..

[63]  I. Nonaka.  A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation , 1994 .

[64]  Darren Bush,et al.  The marketing consequences of competitor lawsuits , 2006 .

[65]  Angela M. Housand,et al.  Self-Regulated Learning in Reading: Gifted Pedagogy and Instructional Settings , 2008 .

[66]  J. Brown,et al.  Organizational Learning and Communities-of-Practice: Toward a Unified View of Working, Learning, and Innovation , 1991 .

[67]  Hersen Doong,et al.  Predictors of diverse usage behaviour towards personal knowledge management systems , 2009, Online Inf. Rev..

[68]  Gabriel Szulanski.  Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm , 1996 .

[69]  Anne Morris,et al.  The problem of information overload in business organisations: a review of the literature , 2000, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[70]  R. McDermott.  Why Information Technology Inspired but Cannot Deliver Knowledge Management , 1999 .

[71]  B. Zimmerman.  Becoming a Self-Regulated Learner: Which Are the Key Subprocesses?. , 1986 .

[72]  B. Uzzi,et al.  Social Structure and Competition in Interfirm Networks: The Paradox of Embeddedness , 1997 .

[73]  H. Tsoukas,et al.  What is Organizational Knowledge , 2001 .

[74]  Dennis F. Galletta,et al.  Research Note - Knowledge Exploration and Exploitation: The Impacts of Psychological Climate and Knowledge Management System Access , 2011, Inf. Syst. Res..

[75]  Atreyi Kankanhalli,et al.  Are norms enough? The role of collaborative norms in promoting organizational knowledge seeking , 2006, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[76]  Tung-Ching Lin,et al.  Understanding knowledge management system usage antecedents: An integration of social cognitive theory and task technology fit , 2008, Inf. Manag..

[77]  N. Kock.  Information overload and worker performance: a process‐centered view , 2000 .

[78]  Vallabh Sambamurthy,et al.  Special Issue on Information Technology and Knowledge Management , 2005 .

[79]  Paul A. Pavlou,et al.  From IT Leveraging Competence to Competitive Advantage in Turbulent Environments: The Case of New Product Development , 2006, Inf. Syst. Res..

[80]  R. Sohi,et al.  IT competency and firm performance: is organizational learning a missing link? , 2003 .

[81]  Lynne M. Markus,et al.  Toward a Theory of Knowledge Reuse: Types of Knowledge Reuse Situations and Factors in Reuse Success , 2001 .

[82]  Detmar W. Straub,et al.  Reconceptualizing System Usage: An Approach and Empirical Test , 2006, Inf. Syst. Res..

[83]  Gary P. Pisano,et al.  Learning-before-doing in the development of new process technology , 1996 .

[84]  Rajiv Sabherwal,et al.  Knowledge Management: Systems and Processes , 2010 .

[85]  William Snyder,et al.  Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge , 2002 .

[86]  Philip H. Winne,et al.  A METACOGNITIVE VIEW OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SELF-REGULATED LEARNING , 1996 .

[87]  J. Flavell.  Metacognition and Cognitive Monitoring: A New Area of Cognitive-Developmental Inquiry. , 1979 .

[88]  Kwok Kee Wei,et al.  What drives continued knowledge sharing? An investigation of knowledge-contribution and -seeking beliefs , 2009, Decis. Support Syst..

[89]  Paul R. Carlile,et al.  Transferring, Translating, and Transforming: An Integrative Framework for Managing Knowledge Across Boundaries , 2004, Organ. Sci..

[90]  Robin S. Poston,et al.  Knowledge Management Systems Usage: Rating Scheme Validity and the Effort-Accuracy Trade-Off , 2008, J. Organ. End User Comput..

[91]  L. Argote.  Organizational Learning: Creating, Retaining and Transferring Knowledge , 1999 .

[92]  Kai H. Lim,et al.  Knowledge reuse through electronic repositories: A study in the context of customer service support , 2011, Inf. Manag..

[93]  Patrick Y. K. Chau,et al.  Does knowledge reuse make a creative person more creative? , 2008, Decis. Support Syst..

[94]  J. Brown,et al.  Knowledge and Organization: A Social-Practice Perspective , 2001 .

[95]  B. Zimmerman.  Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Achievement: An Overview , 1990 .

[96]  Rajiv Sabherwal,et al.  An Empirical Study of the Effect of Knowledge Management Processes at Individual, Group, and Organizational Levels , 2003, Decis. Sci..

[97]  John Sweller,et al.  Cognitive technology: Some procedures for facilitating learning and problem solving in mathematics and science. , 1989 .

[98]  Deborah Compeau,et al.  Social Cognitive Theory and Individual Reactions to Computing Technology: A Longitudinal Study , 1999, MIS Q..

[99]  Alexandra Durcikova,et al.  Are Printed Documents Becoming Irrelevant? The Role of Perceived Usefulness of Knowledge Repositories in Selecting From Knowledge Sources , 2014, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[100]  Hüseyin Tanriverdi,et al.  Information Technology Relatedness, Knowledge Management Capability, and Performance of Multibusiness Firms , 2005, MIS Q..

[101]  F. Friedlander,et al.  The Primacy of Trust as a Facilitator of Further Group Accomplishment , 1970 .

[102]  I. Nonaka,et al.  How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation , 1995 .