thesis_Daniela Noethen_print final - Jacobs University

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Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer in Work Teams: A Multilevel Social Network Perspective hypotheses about and test influencing factors as well as outcomes. Second, we have contributed to the diversity literature by showing that age diversity exerts a positive, albeit small influence on knowledge transfer in teams. Third, we have shown that knowledge transfer in teams is rather a matter of dyads and not of individuals. Therefore, we would like to add to Foss and colleagues’ (2010) call for more multilevel knowledge transfer research including individual level variables by suggesting that multilevel research should, at best, also include dyad level variables. 3.6.5. Practical implications The results of the present study have, furthermore, several implications for practitioners in organizations with regard to general influences on knowledge transfer and with regard to intergenerational knowledge transfer within teams as a means to prevent knowledge loss. First, especially the results for the control variables yield some interesting conclusions. Results show that supervisors deal with a markedly higher frequency of knowledge transfer with their subordinates than the subordinates amongst each other. Although this is in general a favorable result, as supervisors often posses and should share knowledge that the subordinates cannot access otherwise, it also imposes more time, effort, and energy costs on the supervisors (Constant, Sproull, & Kiesler, 1996; Goodman & Darr, 1998; Reagans & McEvily, 2003; Szulanski, 1996). Therefore, it is important to structure and organize these knowledge transfers accordingly, so that they are conducted in an efficient manner. Moreover, results show that employees with a full-time position transfer more knowledge than do those with a part-time contract. Although this appears natural, these results point to the risk of part-time employees being less well integrated into the knowledge networks within the team and the organization as a whole. Especially when there are several part-time workers on the team, an effort has to be made to the end that information and knowledge reach these employees to the 118
Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer in Work Teams: A Multilevel Social Network Perspective same extent as the full-time workers. Additionally, it has to be secured that there are enough opportunities for other employees to tap the part-time workers’ knowledge. Moreover, results demonstrated that team size plays a (negative) role in within-team knowledge transfer. Even though it is evident that, within a team of 15, employees cannot transfer knowledge to each team colleague to the same extent as in a team of three, this poses the risk of losing transparency. In larger teams, subgroups can easily form (for example, based on shared tasks) within which a lot of knowledge is transferred, but across whose boarders hardly any transfer takes place. If the knowledge is very task specific and not relevant for other subgroups, there is no harm, but for other types of knowledge relevant for everyone, it is important to create structures ensuring that such knowledge reaches every employee. Secondly, with regard to intergenerational knowledge transfer, the results of the present study suggest that at least within teams, knowledge is “naturally” transferred more frequently from older to younger employees. As this is a linear effect, the positive intergenerational effect also works for smaller age differences, so that retiring employees should also share more with “middle-aged” colleagues. But, as mentioned above, the effect we found was rather weak. Therefore, the increased intergenerational knowledge transfer is probably not sufficient to prevent the loss of knowledge when an older employee retires. Nevertheless, the natural occurring intergenerational knowledge transfer helps reduce the threat of knowledge loss and can be a good starting point for further steps and measures that can be taken. 3.6.6. Limitations The present study has some limitations that should be noted. First of all, we only examine knowledge transfer within teams. Of course, there may also exist intergenerational knowledge transfer beyond the border of the team, for example, older employees can pass on knowledge to younger colleagues in mentoring relationships or within the framework of cooperations 119
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Knowledge Transfer in Teams and Its
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Table of Contents Contents Acknowle
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Acknowledgements Acknowledgements T
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Acknowledgements Last but not least
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General Introduction and of older w
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General Introduction in the smooth
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Outline Outline The core of the pre
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Outline on knowledge sharing, as we
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Knowledge, Knowledge Management, an
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Multilevel Investigation of Anteced
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Page 67 and 68: Multilevel Investigation of Anteced
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Preventing Knowledge Loss When Empl
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the demographic change. Accordingly
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analysis was dyadic knowledge trans
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questions. The limitations that wil
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would be very different than for a
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“there are situations where knowl
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employing the distinctions recommen
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valuable addition to the existing l
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covers a very specific area of know
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the importance of including lower l
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Foss, N. J., Husted, K., & Michailo
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Watson, S., & Hewett, K. (2006). A
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