Knowledge Transfer
Dr. Kane’s work on knowledge transfer (Argote and Kane, 2009; Kane, Argote, Levine, 2005; Kane, 2010; Kane & Steele, 2012; Kane & Rink, 2020) highlights the intergroup nature of knowledge transfer and advances the extent to which people feel a psychological sense of belonging to an overarching group, termed "superordinate social identity," as an important enabler. This experimental research, which was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, goes beyond establishing this causal relationship, identifying situations under which the effect is stronger (moderators), including the extent that the merits of knowledge are apparent, termed "knowledge demonstrability," and the quality of the knowledge. A managerial implication of this work is the value of highlighting a common membership in a superordinate group when aiming to facilitate the transfer of superior knowledge that is low in demonstrability. With the ever-increasing availability of information, it is this kind of knowledge with concealed merits that may be overlooked to the detriment of organizations and society.
The focus of the aforementioned work on the micro-underpinnings of knowledge transfer also enriches the social identity literature. For example, Kane (2010) develops theory and provides evidence of a mindful process whereby superordinate social identity motivates knowledge consideration, the focusing of attention on determining the value of another’s knowledge, which, in turn, accounts for the transfer of less demonstrable knowledge. Prior to this work, the dominant psychological view was that shared identity led people to blindly adopt opinions from members of one’s own group (e.g., Abrams, Wetherell, Cochrane, Hogg & Turner, 1990). Social identity researchers have built on the mindful perspective Dr. Kane advanced, for example, linking shared identity and effective communication (Greenaway, Wright, Willingham, Reynolds, & Haslam, 2015).
Empirical work
Kane, A. A. (2010). Unlocking knowledge transfer potential: Knowledge demonstrability and superordinate social identity. Organization Science, 21(3), 643-660. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1090.0469
Kane, A.A., Argote, L., & Levine, J.M. (2005) Knowledge transfer between groups via personnel rotation: Effects of social identity and knowledge quality. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 96, 56-71. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.obhdp.2004.09.002
Conceptual contributions
Kane, A. A. & Rink, F. R. (2020) Personnel movement as a mechanism for learning in organizations and teams. In. L. Argote & J. M. Levine (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Group and Organizational Learning. (355 - 364). New York, N.Y: Oxford University Press. Online publication . doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190263362.013.20
Kane, A. A. & Steele, A. L. (2012) Taking actions to deal with climate change risks and opportunities: Developing strong superordinate identities within corporations to promote knowledge transfer and creation. In J.A.F. Stoner and C. Wankel (Eds.) Managing Climate Change Business Risks and Consequences: Leadership for Global Sustainability (pp. 207-225). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Argote, L. & Kane, A.A. (2009) Superordinate identity and knowledge creation and transfer in organizations. In N.J Foss and S. Michailova (Eds.) Knowledge Governance: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives (pp. 166-190). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
References to other's work
Abrams, D., Wetherell, M., Cochrane, S., Hogg, M. A., & Turner, J. C. (1990). Knowing what to think by knowing who you are: Self-categorization and the nature of norm formation, conformity and group polarization. British Journal of Social Psychology, 29, 97-119. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8309.1990.tb00892.x
Greenaway, K. H., Wright, R. G., Willingham, J., Reynolds, K. J., & Haslam, S. A. (2015). Shared Identity Is Key to Effective Communication. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41, 171-182. doi: 10.1177/0146167214559709