The Dissimilar Effects of Fairness on Knowledge Sharing in Distributed Workgroups: A Social Network Perspective

Distributed workgroups are increasingly adopted by global organizations, enabled by technology advances. While social ties and performance of such workgroups have been examined in existing literature, the distinctions in knowledge sharing practices remain blurred. We developed a research model to examine the effects of social ties on knowledge sharing practices through the lens of justice perceptions (i.e., fairness) from a dyadic level. The model was tested in a field study of distributed workgroups at a large multinational organization. Our results suggested that Simmelian-tied dyads (dyads embedded in three-person cliques) had significant influence on justice perceptions and knowledge sharing. Expertise knowledge sharing was influenced by procedural and informational justice perceptions. Contrary to previous studies, our study suggested that product knowledge sharing occurred regardless of distributive justice perception. The findings provided insights to the mechanisms underlying social ties, justice perceptions, and knowledge sharing.