Purpose

In the turbulence of a business-to-business (B2B) environment, employees often face role conflict as the result of changes in task allocations due to work requirements. This research uses organizational role theory to investigate the impact of role conflict on active lurking in B2B online communities. Active lurking, defined as the behavior of seeking information and acquiring knowledge without contributing, contrasts with posters who actively share knowledge. By focusing on these dynamics, this study aims to deepen the understanding of knowledge management (KM) practices and behaviors within B2B contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This research conducts two experimental studies with a behavioral outcome to examine the impact of role conflict on active lurking and the mediating role of knowledge self-efficacy in this regard.

Findings

The results also indicate the moderating role of transformational leadership, such that when transformational leadership is low, role conflict decreases knowledge self-efficacy and active lurking. In contrast, this effect is attenuated in a high transformational leadership environment. The findings contribute to the KM literature by demonstrating how role conflict influences knowledge-sharing behaviors in B2B contexts and by capturing active lurking using a behavioral measure.

Practical implications

The implications of this study offer strategies to address role conflict and mitigate its negative impact. By integrating the concepts of posters and lurkers into the research framework, this paper offers a fresh perspective on organizational role conflict and KM. It provides insights into lurkers and active lurking behavior in B2B online communities, thereby extending the KM literature.

Originality/value

The findings of this research are novel as they first show the moderating role of transformational leadership, wherein when transformational leadership is low, role conflict decreases knowledge self-efficacy and active lurking and second it extends the literature on online knowledge sharing in a B2B context by capturing the role of active lurking through a behavioral measure.

中文翻译：

---

弥合角色冲突和主动潜伏：变革型领导在 B2B 在线社区中的作用

 目的

在动荡的企业对企业 （B2B） 环境中，由于工作要求导致任务分配发生变化，员工经常面临角色冲突。本研究使用组织角色理论来调查角色冲突对 B2B 在线社区中活跃潜伏的影响。主动潜伏，定义为寻求信息和获取知识而不做出贡献的行为，与积极分享知识的发帖者形成鲜明对比。通过关注这些动态，本研究旨在加深对 B2B 环境中知识管理 （KM） 实践和行为的理解。

设计/方法/方法

本研究进行了两项具有行为结果的实验研究，以检验角色冲突对主动潜伏的影响以及知识自我效能感在这方面的中介作用。

 发现

结果还表明变革型领导的调节作用，因此当变革型领导较低时，角色冲突会降低知识自我效能感和主动潜伏。相比之下，这种影响在高度变革的领导环境中会减弱。这些发现通过展示角色冲突如何影响 B2B 环境中的知识共享行为以及使用行为测量来捕捉活跃的潜伏，从而为 KM 文献做出了贡献。

 实际意义

本研究的意义为解决角色冲突和减轻其负面影响提供了策略。通过将海报和潜伏者的概念整合到研究框架中，本文为组织角色冲突和 KM 提供了新的视角。它提供了对 B2B 在线社区中潜伏者和活跃潜伏行为的见解，从而扩展了 KM 文献。

 原创性/价值

这项研究的结果很新颖，因为它们首先显示了变革型领导的调节作用，其中当变革型领导较低时，角色冲突会降低知识自我效能感和主动潜伏，其次它通过行为测量捕捉主动潜伏的作用，扩展了 B2B 环境中在线知识共享的文献。