Are You So Good That They Cannot Ignore You? Effect of Coworker Support on Knowledge Sharing Through an Affective Events Theory Perspective

Abstract

Drawing on affective events theory, this study considers knowledge sharing as an outcome of emotional responses resulting from an individual’s experience of workplace events. This study aimed to empirically examine how coworker support as a work event encourages employees’ knowledge contribution and knowledge-seeking behaviors through feelings of vitality. A structured, questionnaire-based survey was administered to 430 employees of knowledge-based organizations in India. The retrieved data were further analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that perceived coworker support positively influences the knowledge contribution and knowledge-seeking behavior of individuals in the workplace. Furthermore, vitality mediated the positive association between perceived coworker support and knowledge sharing. This implies that the perception of coworker support in the workplace augments employees’ feelings of vitality, which further motivates them to contribute to and seek knowledge from coworkers. Therefore, this study critically underscores the existence of a “performance loop” in knowledge sharing, as coworkers find it difficult to bypass an employee because of their outstanding performance and the fact that the same virtuous cycle elicits greater knowledge sharing by coworkers. Such perceived goodwill makes employees so good that they cannot be ignored within an organizational setting. This is a pioneering study investigating how coworker support in the workplace stimulates knowledge sharing among employees by considering the mediating effect of feelings of vitality. This study also contributes to the positive psychology and knowledge management literature by revealing the implications of vitality for extra-role behaviors such as knowledge sharing.