Relational Dynamics and Knowledge Transfer on Virtual Platforms

• In Event: 50220 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 5: Collaborations and Networks

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is essential for workplace innovation. The process is often shaped by how new ideas are perceived and evaluated, with personal attributes and identities playing an important role. However, with the rise of virtual and distributed work platforms, new questions arise about the conditions under which knowledge is transferred in these spaces, where personal attributes and identities are less visible. This study emphasizes a relational perspective, arguing that social networks serve as important sources of status and reputation, significantly influencing how new ideas are perceived and evaluated. In the absence of traditional evaluation tools, individuals may increasingly rely on relational, rather than individual, criteria to assess the legitimacy of ideas. The study operationalizes knowledge transfer through the pull request function on GitHub and examines how status, centrality, and homophily influence decisions on 87,122 pull requests made by 9,836 software developers between 2018 and 2021. Preliminary results from fixed-effects logistic regression analyses indicate that social status has a positive effect on pull request acceptance, degree centrality has a negative effect, and the effect of homophily varies.

Authors

• Chao Liu, Minnesota State University Mankato

• Steve McDonald, North Carolina State University

• Alex Yan, Yale University