The role of regulatory focus and trustworthiness in knowledge transfer and leakage in alliances

Abstract This study investigates the overlooked phenomenon of the role of heterogeneous individuals in understanding knowledge transfer between partners in strategic alliances. We advance the current understanding about the role of boundary spanners in knowledge transfer between partner firms by proposing that the regulatory focus of boundary spanners is a key antecedent of promoting tacit knowledge transfer and preventing knowledge leakage in alliances. Furthermore, we investigate how the perception of partner trustworthiness moderates the role of regulatory focus. Our findings, based on a survey of 142 firms indicate that boundary spanners’ promotion focus and perceived partner trustworthiness have direct positive effects on tacit knowledge transfer. The interaction of prevention focus and trustworthiness has a positive effect on transfer of tacit knowledge and a negative effect on knowledge leakage.