Will goal clarity lower team innovation? A moderated mediation model of inter-team trust
Journal of Knowledge Management
ISSN: 1367-3270
Article publication date: 17 June 2022
Issue publication date: 30 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Based on two dominant perspectives, team climate and knowledge integration, on team innovation, this study aims to propose a moderated mediation model to examine the interactive effect of inter-team trust and goal clarity on team innovation through knowledge inflows into a team. Considering the two perspectives at the same time will provide a more complete picture on our understanding on team innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The research model is tested on 150 retail teams of a large apparel firm. Data are collected from two separate surveys, one to store managers and one to store staff members. Moderation mediation regression analysis is conducted on the survey data.
Findings
The regression analysis identified both a positive direct effect of goal clarity on innovation, and a negative moderating effect of goal clarity on the mediation of knowledge inflows between inter-team trust and innovation. In other words, inter-team trust is positively related to team innovation through knowledge inflows when goal clarity is low.
Originality/value
In this study, the authors identify an indirect and negative role of goal clarity on team innovation, and examine the mechanism and boundary of inter-team trust on team innovation. Managers are advised to foster a trusting environment and be aware of cognitive bias in their teams so that their teams can be more innovative.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The Authors would like to thank Editor-in-Chief Prof Manlio Del Giudice, Associate Editor Betina Szkudlarek, and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions. This research was supported by the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Project funding Scheme (Project number: DP110100880) awarded to the first author.
Citation
Lui, S., Lai, J., Luo, B.N. and Moran, P. (2023), "Will goal clarity lower team innovation? A moderated mediation model of inter-team trust", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 975-992. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-10-2021-0787
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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