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One of us or one of my friends: How social identity and tie strength shape the creative generativity of boundary-spanning ties AbstractSocial ties to colleagues on other work teams can spur creative ideas and workplace innovation by exposing an individual to diverse knowledge. However, for external knowledge to be recombined into innovation, the knowledge must first be recognized as potentially valuable. Going beyond traditional structural explanations, we predict that the use of diverse knowledge to generate creative ideas and solutions will depend in part on employees' psychological attachment to the organizational groups to which they belong, i.e. their social identity, and the strength of their social ties. We test our hypotheses in an R&D division of a global high-technology firm, finding that social identity influences the creative generativity of boundary-spanning ties. Specifically, stronger team identity renders interactions with colleagues on other work teams less generative of creative ideas, while identification with an overarching, superordinate group (e.g., a division) enhances creative generativity. We also hypothesize and find that tie strength attenuates the negative effect of team identity.

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This study presents a conceptual model of when and how knowledge demonstrability and superordinate social identity impact the likelihood that organizations capitalize on their knowledge resources. To test the model, an experimental methodology was used in which a member transfers from one group to another, transmitting knowledge in the form of a production routine. As predicted, work groups unlocked the knowledge transfer potential arising from personnel movement more often when they shared a superordinate identity than when they did not share such an identity, and this identity effect was moderated by knowledge demonstrability. When knowledge was less demonstrable with concealed merits, it was more likely to transfer between groups that shared a superordinate identity, compared to groups that did not share such an identity. By contrast, when knowledge was more demonstrable with apparent merits, it was as likely to transfer between groups that shared a superordinate identity compared to groups that did not share such an identity. As predicted, superordinate identity induced knowledge consideration, the focusing of group attention on determining the value of another's knowledge. Mediated moderation analyses revealed that this process underlies knowledge transfer. Superordinate social identity induced thorough knowledge consideration, which was more important for recognizing the value of knowledge when its merits were concealed rather than apparent. Because the merits of many organizational routines and practices are concealed and superordinate identity appears to be a key to unlocking the knowledge transfer potential of less demonstrable knowledge, this study has important implications for managing knowledge resources.

This article reviews research that examines the use of language in small interacting groups and teams. We propose a model of group inputs (e.g., status), processes and emergent states (e.g., cohesion, influence, and innovation), and outputs (e.g., group effectiveness and member well-being) to help structure our review. The model is integrated with how language is used by groups to both reflect group inputs but also to examine how language interacts with inputs to affect group processes and create emergent states in groups, and then ultimately helps add value to the group with outputs (e.g., performance). Using cross-disciplinary research, our review finds that language is integral to how groups coordinate, interrelate, and adapt. For example, language convergence is related to increased group cohesion and group performance. Our model provides the theoretical scaffolding to consider language use in interacting small groups and suggests areas for future research.

We examine the practice of nominating bicultural immigrants to manage knowledge‐intensive projects sourced from their host to their home countries. We focus on their actions vis‐à‐vis global collaborators and unpack psychological processes involved. Managers in these positions have to navigate the workplace social identity threat that arises from being associated with the home country group – a lower status group in this context. How they navigate this threat shapes the way they use their bicultural competencies and authority as managers. When they embrace their home country identity, immigrant managers tend to enable knowledge‐based boundary spanning through actions empowering home country collaborators, such as teaching missing competencies, connecting to important stakeholders, and soliciting input. Instead, when distancing from their home country identity, they tend to hinder collaborators by micromanaging, narrowing communication channels, and suppressing input. We develop theoretical implications for the study of global boundary spanning, bicultural managers, and workplace social identity.

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