Knowledge Sharing in Cross-Functional Teams and its Antecedents: Role of Mutual Trust as a Moderator

Growth and success of an organisation are primarily dependent on its ability to develop, leverage, and utilise its knowledge base. This study developed a model to test the impact of antecedents of knowledge Sharing (KS) on team performance. The antecedents were classified as organisational characteristics (structure, learning culture, employee training, reward system, top management support) and individual characteristic (emotional intelligence). The study is based on data collected with the help of structured questionnaires from 582 team members working under 69 teams in 26 surveyed organisations in India. Results suggest that high emotional intelligence increases the extent of KS and hence, has positive impact on team performance among cross-functional team members. Moreover, mutual trust among team members moderates KS behaviour and team performance. Thus, findings confirm the applicability and predictive power of the proposed model. Furthermore, this model contributes to the literature of predicting KS practices in cross-functional projects.

[1]  D. Teece.  Capturing Value from Knowledge Assets: The New Economy, Markets for Know-How, and Intangible Assets , 1998 .

[2]  Angel Cabrera,et al.  Fostering knowledge sharing through people management practices , 2005 .

[3]  Bassam Hasan.  Knowledge Sharing Attitude: An Empirical Test of a Multifactor Model , 2014, J. Inf. Knowl. Manag..

[4]  S. Mulaik,et al.  EVALUATION OF GOODNESS-OF-FIT INDICES FOR STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELS , 1989 .

[5]  Maria Paz Salmador Sánchez,et al.  Knowledge‐based manufacturing enterprises: evidence from a case study , 2008 .

[6]  Leila Canaan Messarra,et al.  Correlates of organizational commitment and knowledge sharing via intelligence , 2010 .

[7]  Julia Mueller,et al.  Formal and Informal Practices of Knowledge Sharing between Project Teams and Enacted Cultural Characteristics , 2015 .

[8]  Bernard J. Jaworski,et al.  Product quality: Impact of interdepartmental interactions , 1997 .

[9]  Thomas H. Davenport,et al.  Book review:Working knowledge: How organizations manage what they know. Thomas H. Davenport and Laurence Prusak. Harvard Business School Press, 1998. $29.95US. ISBN 0‐87584‐655‐6 , 1998 .

[10]  Heeseok Lee,et al.  Knowledge Management Enablers, Processes, and Organizational Performance: An Integration and Empirical Examination , 2000 .

[11]  J. Bellack.  Emotional intelligence: a missing ingredient? , 1999, The Journal of nursing education.

[12]  See-Kwong Goh,et al.  Perceived Creativity: The Role of Emotional Intelligence and Knowledge Sharing Behaviour , 2014, J. Inf. Knowl. Manag..

[13]  Morten T. Hansen,et al.  The Search-Transfer Problem: The Role of Weak Ties in Sharing Knowledge across Organization Subunits , 1999 .

[14]  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..

[15]  J. Kratzer,et al.  Is trust really social capital? Knowledge sharing in product development projects , 2006 .

[16]  John Byrne,et al.  Knowledge Networks in New Product Development Projects: A Transactive Memory Perspective , 2005, Inf. Manag..

[17]  Ken G. Smith,et al.  Knowledge Exchange and Combination: The Role of Human Resource Practices in the Performance of High-Technology Firms , 2006 .

[18]  Carla O'Dell,et al.  If Only We Knew What We Know: Identification and Transfer of Internal Best Practices , 1998 .

[19]  M. McLure Wasko,et al.  "It is what one does": why people participate and help others in electronic communities of practice , 2000, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[20]  Julia Müller,et al.  Knowledge Sharing between Project Teams and its Cultural Antecedents , 2012, J. Knowl. Manag..

[21]  R. Ruggles.  The State of the Notion: Knowledge Management in Practice , 1998 .

[22]  Jeffrey B. Arthur,et al.  Gainsharing and knowledge sharing: the effects of labour–management co-operation , 2005 .

[23]  M. Aiken,et al.  Organizational interdependence and intra-organizational structure. , 1968 .

[24]  John K. Butler.  Trust Expectations, Information Sharing, Climate of Trust, and Negotiation Effectiveness and Efficiency , 1999 .

[25]  S. Ghoshal,et al.  Social Capital and Value Creation: The Role of Intrafirm Networks , 1998 .

[26]  L. Liao,et al.  A learning organization perspective on knowledge-sharing behavior and firm innovation , 2006 .

[27]  Heeseok Lee,et al.  Knowledge Management Enablers, Processes, and Organizational Performance: An Integrative View and Empirical Examination , 2003, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[28]  Jeanne Liedtka,et al.  The Generative Cycle: Linking Knowledge and Relationships , 1997 .

[29]  Paul S. Goodman,et al.  Computer-Aided Systems and Communities: Mechanisms for Organizational Learning in Distributed Environments , 1998, MIS Q..

[30]  Shan Ling Pan,et al.  A Socio-Technical View of Knowledge Sharing at Buckman Laboratories , 1998, J. Knowl. Manag..

[31]  Dorothy E. Leidner,et al.  Review: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research Issues , 2001, MIS Q..

[32]  Che-Jen Su,et al.  An Empirical Study on the Effect of Individual Factors on Knowledge Sharing by Knowledge Type , 2007 .

[33]  John D'Ambra,et al.  Knowledge Sharing in Cross-Functional Teams: A Coopetitive Model , 2012, J. Knowl. Manag..

[34]  S. Bell,et al.  When customers disappoint: A model of relational internal marketing and customer complaints , 2004 .

[35]  Liam Fahey,et al.  Diagnosing cultural barriers to knowledge management , 2000 .

[36]  Pei-Lee Teh,et al.  Do the Big Five Personality Factors Affect Knowledge Sharing Behaviour? A Study of Malaysian Universities , 2011 .

[37]  Wei Li,et al.  Cultural influences on knowledge sharing through online communities of practice , 2006, J. Knowl. Manag..

[38]  Jin K. Han,et al.  Market Orientation and Organizational Performance: Is Innovation a Missing Link? , 1998 .

[39]  Khaled A. Alshare,et al.  Determinants of Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Network Communities in Organizational Context , 2015, J. Inf. Knowl. Manag..

[40]  Minnie W. Johnson.  Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ , 2014 .

[41]  Nicolai J. Foss,et al.  Encouraging knowledge sharing among employees: How job design matters , 2009 .

[42]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[43]  Neal Schmitt,et al.  Human resource practices, organizational climate, and customer satisfaction , 2001 .

[44]  R. Noe,et al.  Knowledge sharing: A review and directions for future research , 2010 .

[45]  Ting-Peng Liang,et al.  Can Social Exchange Theory Explain Individual Knowledge-Sharing Behavior? A Meta-Analysis , 2008, ICIS.

[46]  J. Bonache,et al.  The Impact of Team Atmosphere on Knowledge Outcomes in Self-managed Teams , 2005 .

[47]  Marylène Gagné.  A model of knowledge‐sharing motivation , 2009 .

[48]  Mirghani Mohamed,et al.  Applying knowledge management principles to enhance cross-functional team performance , 2004, J. Knowl. Manag..

[49]  B. Delahaye,et al.  Influences On Knowledge processes In Organizational Learning: The Psychosocial Filter , 2000 .

[50]  E. Kelloway,et al.  Predictors of employees’ perceptions of knowledge sharing cultures , 2003 .

[51]  D. Hislop.  Linking human resource management and knowledge management via commitment: A review and research agenda , 2003 .

[52]  Anna Koczwara,et al.  What is emotional intelligence at work , 2009 .

[53]  P. Salovey,et al.  Emotional Intelligence , 1990, Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.

[54]  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.

[55]  Heeseok Lee,et al.  The Impact of Information Technology and Transactive Memory Systems on Knowledge Sharing, Application, and Team Performance: A Field Study , 2010, MIS Q..

[56]  Dan N. Stone,et al.  Antecedents of organizational knowledge sharing: a meta-analysis and critique , 2013, J. Knowl. Manag..

[57]  Young-Gul Kim,et al.  Breaking the Myths of Rewards: An Exploratory Study of Attitudes about Knowledge Sharing , 2002, Inf. Resour. Manag. J..

[58]  Sari Salojärvi,et al.  Knowledge management and growth in Finnish SMEs , 2005, J. Knowl. Manag..

[59]  D. Goleman.  Working with Emotional Intelligence , 1998 .

[60]  M. Buelens,et al.  Knowledge Sharing in Public Sector Organizations: The Effect of Organizational Characteristics on Interdepartmental Knowledge Sharing , 2006 .

[61]  Linda Argote,et al.  Managing Knowledge in Organizations: An Integrative Framework and Review of Emerging Themes , 2003, Manag. Sci..

[62]  Erik Jan Hultink,et al.  4 Product development performance: strategy, organization and management in the world auto industry☆ , 1994 .

[63]  K. M. Bartol,et al.  Empowering Leadership in Management Teams: Effects on Knowledge Sharing, Efficacy, And Performance , 2006 .

[64]  D. Denison,et al.  From Chimneys to Cross-Functional Teams: Developing and Validating a Diagnostic Model , 1996 .

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

[66]  Margaret A. White,et al.  Learning and Knowledge Transfer in Strategic Alliances: A Social Exchange View , 2005 .

[67]  M. Aiken,et al.  Relationship of centralization to other structural properties. , 1967 .

[68]  Torstein Nesheim,et al.  Knowledge Sharing in a Complex Organization: Antecedents and Safety Effects , 2014 .

[69]  Morten T. Hansen,et al.  Knowledge Networks: Explaining Effective Knowledge Sharing in Multiunit Companies , 2002 .

[70]  Daniel J. McAllister.  Affect- and Cognition-Based Trust as Foundations for Interpersonal Cooperation in Organizations , 1995 .

[71]  R. Kanter.  The Change Masters: Corporate Entrepreneurs at Work , 1985 .

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

[73]  Daniel Z. Levin.  Transferring knowledge within the organization in the R&D arena , 2000 .

[74]  Steven Lysonski,et al.  Cross-Cultural Generalizability of a Scale for Profiling Consumers' Decision-Making Styles , 1993 .

[75]  D. Sandy Staples,et al.  Exploring the effects of trust, task interdependence and virtualness on knowledge sharing in teams , 2008, Inf. Syst. J..

[76]  Y. Baruch,et al.  All for one, one for all: Coopetition and virtual team performance , 2012 .

[77]  Katarina Vahl Bendixen.  Copenhagen Business School , 2004 .

[78]  G. Orme,et al.  Emotional Intelligence , 2003 .

[79]  S. Chowdhury,et al.  The role of affect- and cognition-based trust in complex knowledge sharing. , 2005 .

[80]  Gilbert A. Churchill.  A Paradigm for Developing Better Measures of Marketing Constructs , 1979 .

[81]  D. Gallagher,et al.  A Journey into the Unknown; Taking the Fear Out of Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS for the First-Time User’ , 2008 .

[82]  Carla O'Dell,et al.  Overcoming cultural barriers to sharing knowledge , 2001, J. Knowl. Manag..

[83]  Lillian V. Ortiz-Fournier,et al.  Overcoming cultural barriers for innovation and knowledge sharing , 2009, J. Knowl. Manag..

[84]  R. Keller,et al.  The Impact of Team‐Member Exchange, Differentiation, Team Commitment, and Knowledge Sharing on R&D Project Team Performance , 2011 .

[85]  J. H. Davis,et al.  An Integrative Model Of Organizational Trust , 1995 .

[86]  L. V. Dyne,et al.  Helping and Voice Extra-Role Behaviors: Evidence of Construct and Predictive Validity , 1998 .

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

[88]  Rafael E. Landaeta,et al.  Exploring the relationships between emotional intelligence and the use of knowledge transfer methods in the project environment , 2009 .

[89]  Ganesh D. Bhatt,et al.  Knowledge management in organizations: examining the interaction between technologies, techniques, and people , 2001, J. Knowl. Manag..

[90]  J. C. Henderson,et al.  Managing I/S Design Teams: A Control Theories Perspective , 1992 .

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

[92]  L. Argote,et al.  KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER: A BASIS FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN FIRMS , 2000 .

[93]  D. Burgess,et al.  What Motivates Employees to Transfer Knowledge Outside Their Work Unit? , 2005 .

[94]  K. Wiig.  Knowledge management: Where did it come from and where will it go? , 1997 .

[95]  Mia Reinholt Fosgaard,et al.  Why Complementary HRM Practices Impact Performance: The Case of Rewards, Job Design, and Work Climate in a Knowledge‐Sharing Context , 2015 .

[96]  Yeo-Jin Kang,et al.  The Impact of Knowledge Sharing on Work Performance: An Empirical Analysis of the Public Employees' Perceptions in South Korea , 2008 .

[97]  J. Levine,et al.  Knowledge Transfer in Organizations: Learning from the Experience of Others☆ , 2000 .

[98]  Susan J. Bradley,et al.  Affect Regulation and the Development of Psychopathology , 2000 .

[99]  Robert M. Davison,et al.  Instant Messenger‐Facilitated Knowledge Sharing and Team Performance , 2014 .

[100]  Brenda Scott-Ladd,et al.  Emotional intelligence and participation in decision-making: strategies for promoting organizational learning and change , 2004 .

[101]  Soonhee Kim,et al.  The Impact of Organizational Context and Information Technology on Employee Knowledge‐Sharing Capabilities , 2006 .

[102]  R. P. McDonald,et al.  Structural Equations with Latent Variables , 1989 .

[103]  T. Kostova.  Transnational Transfer of Strategic Organizational Practices: A Contextual Perspective , 1999 .

[104]  M. A. Hawari,et al.  A Comparative Study of Trust as a Knowledge Sharing Enabler and its Influence on Organisational Culture , 2012 .

[105]  Andrew B. Hargadon.  Firms as Knowledge Brokers: Lessons in Pursuing Continuous Innovation , 1998 .