Being perceived as a knowledge sender or knowledge receiver: A multistudy investigation of the effect of age on knowledge transfer

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

As a result of demographic changes, workforces are becoming older and more age diverse. While interactions between workers from different age groups can provide opportunities for mutual learning through bidirectional knowledge transfer, research has yet to investigate how age influences knowledge transfer between age-diverse colleagues. Building on the organizational theory of age effects, we conducted two studies to examine how age influenced the roles assigned to individuals in knowledge transfer processes, that is, whether they were perceived as knowledge senders or knowledge recipients. In Study 1, we used an experimental vignette design with 450 employees to assess how age affected perceived ability and motivation to share and receive knowledge. Further, we tested the extent to which trustworthiness moderated these relationships. In Study 2, we extended these findings using a dyadic research design with data from 53 age-diverse knowledge transfer dyads. We examined through which mechanisms the age of one's colleague affected one's knowledge transfer behaviour. We found that the age of one's colleague had a positive effect on one's knowledge receiving behaviour and a negative effect on one's knowledge sharing behaviour. Further, perceived ability to receive knowledge and perceived motivation to share knowledge mediated these effects.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
Volume91
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)518-545
Number of pages28
ISSN0963-1798
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 09.2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The British Psychological Society

    Research areas

  • Business psychology - Age norms, Ageing workforce, Experimental vignette study, Generations, Knowledge retention, knowledge transfer

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Reconsidering adaptation as translation
  2. Introduction
  3. Anxious Awakening of the Dormant...
  4. Der Hacker
  5. Self-regulatory thought across time and domains
  6. Der Minotaurus haust im Text
  7. Sustainable Statehood: Reflections on Critical (Pre-)Conditions, Requirements and Design Options
  8. An automated, modular system for organic waste utilization using heterotrophic alga Galdieria sulphuraria
  9. Six Steps towards a Spatial Design for Large-Scale Pollinator Surveillance Monitoring
  10. Two-pass friction stir welding of cladded API X65
  11. Displacement, Monuments and Memories.
  12. Optimizing counteroffers
  13. Effects of extrusion ratio and annealing treatment on the mechanical properties and microstructure of a Mg–11Gd–4.5Y–1Nd–1.5Zn–0.5Zr (wt%) alloy
  14. The Past, Present and Future of the Corporate Actor
  15. Optimising Patterns of Life Conduct
  16. Ethical and Regulatory Issues for Clinical Trials in Xenotransplantation
  17. Politics after Networks
  18. Analyse und Gestaltung von Fabriklebenszyklen
  19. Give and take frames in shared-resource negotiations
  20. Visualizations of projected rainfall change in the United Kingdom
  21. Rule-based analysis of throughfall kinetic energy to evaluate biotic and abiotic factor thresholds to mitigate erosive power
  22. Das Konzept Eigeninitiative
  23. Das Schreiben, das Interpretieren, die Tatsachen
  24. Impact of anthropogenic input on physicochemical parameters and trace metals in marine surface sediments of Bay of Bengal off Chennai, India
  25. ephemera: theory & politics in organization
  26. Recycling-oriented fabrication of soft robots