1 research outputs found
Relational Model Conflicts in Knowledge Sharing Behavior
The distributed nature of organizational knowledge makes that knowledge sharing an important factor for unlocking its potential
value. In practice, however, people may have different motivations for not sharing knowledge with colleagues, which in part may
be due to the relational context. In this paper, we adopt Fiske’s Relational Model Theory to investigate relational dynamics in
knowledge sharing behavior. Our objective is to gain insight into how relational model conflicts affect knowledge sharing in
organizations.
A series of experiments have been conducted, in which the consequences of relational model conflicts for the willingness to
share knowledge are evaluated. Each experiment contained four scenarios reflecting different relational models. Participants were
faced with different scenarios reflecting particular relational models, and a fictitious other colleague who behaved according to a
conflicting relational model.
Our analysis shows that the recognition of relational model conflicts strongly depends on the relational models involved. The
extent of recognition seems to be related with the nature of the exchange relationships involved in the conflict. For instance, the
relational model conflict was more acutely felt by a communal sharing participant facing a market pricing colleague, than by the
same participant dealing with an authority ranking response. Likewise, we find that the impact of relational model conflicts on the
willingness to share knowledge depends on the relational models involved. Specifically, it appears that market pricing responses
have a negative influence on participants’ willingness to share, while communal sharing responses generally have positive effects.
Our research serves as a starting point for other studies aiming at a deeper understanding of the dynamics of knowledge
sharing behavior of employees and for solving conflicts at work