A quasi‐experimental examination of knowledge‐sharing interventions enhancing service performance: The roles of time, occupational identity, and image

Summary A significant amount of research has examined the antecedents and processes responsible for driving employee knowledge‐sharing behaviors. Integrating information‐processing theory and the identity‐based motivation model, we develop a contingency model whereby knowledge sharing does not always result in desirable outcomes, depending on time and individuals' motivation to learn and acquire useful information for performance improvement. Applying a longitudinal and quasi‐experimental design in a unique service context, we examine when knowledge‐sharing interventions can help employees improve service performance. Specifically, we explore the roles of time and employee occupational identity and image in helping employees leverage knowledge‐sharing activities to create superior customer service. Our results suggest that the benefits of knowledge sharing on both proximal (i.e., employee‐perceived customer gratitude) and distal service performance (i.e., customer‐rated evaluation) are contingent on time and employee‐perceived occupational image, such that the value of knowledge sharing requires time (i.e., a cumulative effect) and employees' motivation to process and absorb the shared information and to eventually leverage knowledge‐sharing activities to improve service performance.