I Know Something You Don't Know: The Effect of Relative Performance Information and Individual Performance Incentives on Knowledge Sharing

Abstract

When employees share knowledge with their colleagues, the efficiency of the colleagues' performance improves, which positively affects their productivity. However, employees can engage in counterproductive behavior by choosing not to share knowledge (passive behavior) or by choosing to share inaccurate knowledge with their colleagues (active behavior). In this study, we examine how providing relative performance information (RPI) and rewarding individuals with performance-based incentives can jointly affect individuals' choices to engage in counterproductive knowledge sharing behavior. Using an experiment, we identify an interactive effect of RPI and individual incentives, such that participants engage in counterproductive knowledge sharing behavior most frequently when they receive RPI and are assigned individual performance-based incentives. We also observe that RPI increases the frequency of both active and passive counterproductive knowledge sharing behavior.

Work experience influence on the knowledge sharing barriers perceived significance by higher educational institutions administrative employees

“…A second suggestion could be that with increase in work experience the knowledge holder could increase confidence of her position (e.g., of an expert, or, following the terms of our article, a holder of “valuable, rare, inimitable and non‐substitutable” knowledge and/or competences) in the organization due to having more time to develop such a reputation (Berger, Fiolleau, & MacTavish, 2019; Chadwick, 2017; Moser, 2017). Alternative suggestions related to “confidence in position” could be that the knowledge holder with a bigger work experience is either more confident in her qualification and thus less afraid of sharing knowledge as a threat to her position (Gilson et al, 2013), or just having increased her personal knowledge base (both in terms of volume and integrity, systemic vision, logical structurality), also leading to decrease in sensitivity of a specific knowledge asset (Ibid.…”

Subjectivity in incentive schemes, cognitive orientations and counterproductive knowledge behavior: an experimental study

“…Counterproductive knowledge behavior comprises active and passive behaviors (Berger et al , 2019). An active behavior is indicated by not sharing an accurate knowledge to the coworkers, whereas the passive behavior is unintentionally retaining knowledge.…”

“…Previous research suggests that relative performance evaluation motivates willingness to be better compared to the coworkers when all employees’ performances are known by each, particularly when an individual-based incentive scheme is applied (Berger et al , 2019). Thus, the management control design somehow determines the employees’ behavior, including knowledge behavior.…”

The moderating effect of appearance on the impact of performance rankings in the live streaming market

“…This study makes several contributions to the literature and live streaming practice. First, unlike previous studies on RPI that were primarily focused on the role of RPI in inducing effort ( Hannan et al, 2008 , 2013 ; Tafkov, 2013 ; Kramer et al, 2016 ; Berger et al, 2019 ; Newman et al, 2022 ), this study explores the informational effect of RPI in the live streaming business, and thus increases our understanding of how RPI influences individuals’ behavior. Second, using a large sample, this study contributes to the live streaming literature by presenting archival evidence of the impacts of RPI in relation to broadcasters on both their behavior and their viewers’ behavior ( Wongkitrungrueng et al, 2020 ; Lin et al, 2021 ; Liu and Liu, 2021 ; Chen and Liao, 2022 ; Guan et al, 2022 ; Lo et al, 2022 ; Wu et al, 2022 ; Xu et al, 2022 ).…”