Encouraging Knowledge Sharing in Global Virtual Teams: The Interaction Effect of Individual Difference and Perceived Sharing Benefits

Abstract

This study aims to examine how individual difference variable (i.e. exchange ideology) influences the relationship between perceived economic and social benefits and knowledge sharing behavior in the context of global virtual teams (GVTs). This study draws on social exchange theory and proposes that exchange ideology would positively moderate the relationship between three perceived benefits (i.e., extrinsic rewards, reciprocity, and image) and virtual team members’ knowledge sharing behavior. Data were collected from 113 members of 13 virtual student teams consisting of participants from Asia and Europe. Contrary to the team-member exchange theory, the findings suggest that, in GVTs, exchange ideology negatively moderates the relationships between extrinsic rewards, reciprocity and knowledge sharing, and had no moderating effect on the relationship between image and knowledge sharing. These results provoke theoretical implications that some contextual factors of GVTs may influence the moderating effects of individual difference. This study also provides some suggestions for the management of GVTs in knowledge sharing encouragement.