thesis_Daniela Noethen_print final - Jacobs University

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Preventing Knowledge Loss When Employees Expect to Leave Although the retention of retirees’ knowledge is an important aspect of preventing knowledge loss, other employee groups should not be neglected. Younger employees, for example recent university graduates, often have knowledge that is more up to date, and that covers recent developments in the field that have not yet reached the organizations. Furthermore, there is oftentimes a high degree of specialization in tasks, with the consequence that there are many experts, who can also be younger employees, who are the only organization or team members covering a certain field of knowledge. And there is actually a higher risk for younger employees’ knowledge to be lost to the organization, more specifically young professionals’ knowledge. First, in contrast to members of older generations, younger employees tend to be less willing to remain with the organization (D’Amato & Herzfeldt, 2008). Second, it has been shown that age is generally negatively related to the probability of changing a job (e.g., Campbell, 1997; Kidd, 1991, 1994), and third, turnover inclinations have been shown to increase with the level of education (Sousa- Poza & Henneberger, 2004). Taken together, young professionals seem to have a higher probability of leaving voluntarily than other employee groups. This shows that efforts to retain knowledge should not only target older, soon retiring employees, but should also focus on other groups of (younger) employees, especially those who are at risk of turnover. One strategy to prevent knowledge loss is to encourage knowledge transfer between those leaving the organization and their successors or team members (Droege & Hoobler, 2003; DeLong, 2004; Leibold & Voelpel, 2006), and this before they actually leave (Droege & Hoobler, 2003). But, depending on the reasons for turnover, e.g., if it is voluntary or involuntary, employees might be less inclined to make an effort for the organization’s sake and, thus, less inclined to share their knowledge prior to leaving. Accordingly, to determine if knowledge transfer can be an appropriate strategy to prevent knowledge loss that works 134
Preventing Knowledge Loss When Employees Expect to Leave efficiently prior to a potential employee turnover, we should examine the effect of different types of intended or expected turnover on knowledge sharing. As the literature on turnover intention has mainly focused on causes of this phenomenon and on one very specific consequence, i.e., actual turnover (e.g., Mobley1977; Tett & Meyer, 1993; Zimmerman & Darnold, 2009), there is a considerable research gap with respect to other consequences. Moreover, influences on, and effects of the expectation of having to leave the organization are so far completely under-researched. Accordingly, for intended or expected turnover, effects on knowledge sharing are so far unknown, as are strategies to buffer potential negative effects. This is where we want to add to the literature. In the present paper, taking a multi-theoretical approach drawing on social exchange theory (Blau, 1964), cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957), organizational support theory (Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison, & Sowa, 1986; Shore & Shore, 1995), and the strain-stressor model (Beehr, 1985; House, 1981), we want to empirically investigate how different types of turnover intention and expectations influence individual knowledge sharing, and furthermore propose that and test if negative effects can be buffered by perceived supervisor support. In doing so, we aim to contribute to the extant literature, first, by presenting important behavioral consequences of intended or expected turnover. Second, we aspire to strengthen the importance of the supervisor for knowledge sharing, and consequently for knowledge retention processes. Third, we aim to broaden the focus of knowledge prevention efforts to employee groups other than retirees. 4.3. Theoretical and Empirical Background We will first describe why we assume a negative relationship between certain forms of turnover intention / expectation and knowledge sharing. In a next step, we will elaborate how 135
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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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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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