Impact of coherent versus multiple identities on knowledge integration
Publication type
Journal article with impact factorPublication Year
2008Journal
Journal of Information SciencePublication Volume
34Publication Issue
3Publication Begin page
370Publication End page
386
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This paper addresses the influence of two competing views of social identity on knowledge integration. One view sees social identity primarily as a coherent characteristic of organizations, which can leverage knowledge integration by unconditional cooperative behaviour, shared values, mindsets, trust, and loyalty. The opposing view considers social identity as multiple and fragmented. This fragmented view emphasizes the problematic nature of social identity for knowledge integration and states that social identity is an additional barrier to knowledge integration in organizations. The aim of this paper is to examine these competing accounts and to develop insight into the underlying mechanisms that lead to the different effects of social identity on knowledge integration. Two polar case studies illustrate the different effects of a coherent versus multiple identity on knowledge integration and the need for a coherent company-wide social identity, instead of a multiple community or group based social identity, to leverage knowledge integration in organizations.Knowledge Domain/Industry
Human Resource Managementae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1177/0165551507086259