It is often said that “Knowledge is power,” and this plays out in the choices made in organizations. Perhaps you have a colleague who could be your rival for a promotion. You consider sharing an idea with them, but refrain because it may help them advance over you. While strategic thinking in how you share information can be helpful, there are situations in which it is beneficial to share information more freely. To explore how this might happen, Balau and Utz (2016) looked into how a person’s view of their power over others influenced how they chose to share information. To do this, Balau and Utz took to the internet. In an online experiment, they told people to put themselves in the shoes of a leader organizing a sports event with the help of subordinates, and showed them pieces of information on a social media-style platform. The people were presented with their leadership role in a way that either emphasized it as an opportunity to achieve success or as a responsibility to behave ethically. Some of the information presented was clearly public domain, while other pieces were clearly insider information from a market report. Some people were then given the opportunity to “trust” and share valuable information with team members as opposed to simply “liking” it for themselves. The key finding was that people who thought of their leadership as a responsibility shared trusted nuggets of insider information more than those who thought of their leadership as an opportunity for advancement.
Perhaps you are in a situation in which you know it would be beneficial for people to share information rather than keeping it to themselves, as it often increases team productivity. Based on Balau and Ulz’ findings, framing leadership as a responsibility to behave ethically (and possibly instituting accountability) rather than simply a great career opportunity would result in more knowledge sharing. Leaders can greatly influence team climates, and this intentional emphasis on responsibility can contribute to creating a culture that values the free flow of information.
Reference: Balau, N., & Utz, S. (2016). Exposing information sharing as strategic behavior: power as responsibility and “Trust” buttons. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 46, 593-606.
Photo Courtesy of the World Economic Forum
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