| Knowledge resides within the boundaries of organizations. It also exists in large knowledge domain communities which cross the boundaries of many organizations. Organizations must determine how best to both share and seek knowledge from these communities. This research is an investigation of the mediating role of trust and value on the relationship between tie strength and knowledge traits (diffusion, codification, abstraction) and the perceived usefulness and trustworthiness of knowledge obtained through either dyadic, group or published methods within cross boundary knowledge exchange. It asks whether a knowledge seeker's perception of knowledge usefulness and trustworthiness depends on his or her ties with the source as well as shared values with the knowledge source community and trust in both the competency and benevolence of the source.;A survey of the users of a federally funded research database is used to investigate these questions. Derived from the literature, the constructs examined are sense of community tie strength, shared values, competence and benevolence based trust, knowledge value and trust, knowledge codification, diffusion, and abstraction and the perceived usefulness and trustworthiness of knowledge obtained from dyadic, group, or published sources.;Structural equation modeling was used to assess the relationships between knowledge source usefulness and trustworthiness and their antecedents while mediation analysis was used to examine the mediating role of trust and value. The results emphasized the importance of trust in the determination of knowledge usefulness and trustworthiness. Fostering and maintaining trust in virtual interactions, particularly those involving groups of individuals, remains a question.;Knowledge exchange across organizational boundaries is an important enabler of success for open innovation, public-private collaborations, and joint ventures. It is vital that strategies be developed to ensure that the development of trust can be accomplished in cross boundary knowledge exchanges especially since such exchanges are taking place in an increasingly virtual environment. |
