Personality Composition, Affective Tie and Knowledge Sharing: A Team Level Analysis

Abstract

Since knowledge has became the most valuable asset for organizations in the knowledge-economy age, related issues of knowledge management have been getting more and more attention, especially the concept of knowledge sharing, because it is a necessary condition for organizations to perform fruitful knowledge transfer and creation, which will then help them gain and sustain competitive advantage. Previous research has for the most part only studied how to induce employees to perform knowledge sharing at the individual level. However, it might not be enough as nowadays most organizational goals must be met by teamwork; therefore, recognizing what kind of team attributes can effectively promote knowledge sharing is important. In this study, we investigate the issue of knowledge sharing based on the IPO (input-process-output model) model at the team level. 53 R&D teams composed of 205 employees participated in this study to examine the relationships among team personality composition (the five-factor personality), team process (affective tie), and team outcome (knowledge sharing). The findings are then discussed in terms of their implications for management practices and future research.