The Effects of Team Network Characteristics and Boundary Spanning Activities on Knowledge Management Performances: The Mediating Role of Trust

팀 네트워크 특성과 경계관리 활동이 지식경영 성과에 미치는 영향: 팀 신뢰의 매개역할

The effective management of knowledge has become one of the critical success factors in current organizations. In spite of the extensive use of Knowledge Management System (KMS), useful information and knowledge resources are still transmitted through personal networks among people in organizations. Thus, social network theory which focuses on social relationships in organization can be a fruitful theoretical resource for enhancing Knowledge Management (KM) performances. In this study, we investigate the effects of intra-team network characteristics (i.e., group density and degree of centralization) and external boundary spanning activities on knowledge management performances of a team. We also acknowledge that all group members do not necessarily agree on the team goal and actively disseminate useful information and knowledge. Drawing on the political perspective on KM which emphasizes the role of trust among group members, we examine the mediating effects of team trust between internal/external network characteristics and KM performances. From the data of 220 teams in financial companies in Korea, we found that: (1) group density had positive effects on KM performances (i.e., knowledge creation, sharing, and use). (2) However, centralization was not significantly associated with KM performances. (3) Team trust was found to be an important factor mediating the relationship between intra-team network characteristics, boundary spanning activities, and KM performances. Based on these results, we discuss and suggest possible implications of the findings when designing and implementing KM practices.