When Pressure Sparks Sharing: How Tenacity Drives Knowledge Exchange under Role Conflict

What is it about?

This study examines how employees’ tenacity—their sustained goal-directed energy—shapes their willingness to share and exchange knowledge with colleagues, particularly when faced with stressful role conflicts. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the authors argue that tenacious employees are more likely to invest energy in knowledge exchange because it helps them gain valuable resources (new ideas, problem-solving insights) that protect them against future stress. Using survey data from 746 employees in a large Mexican pharmaceutical distribution company, this study finds that tenacity strongly predicts knowledge exchange. This positive link grows stronger under high within-work role conflict or work–family conflict. Tenacious employees facing such demands channel adversity into greater collaboration and information-sharing. When both conflicts are high, tenacity’s effect is most pronounced, as knowledge sharing becomes a key strategy for replenishing resources and balancing competing work and family pressures. These findings reveal that tenacious employees can turn role stress into an opportunity for mutual learning and resilience. For organizations, fostering tenacity and open communication can mitigate the negative effects of role overload and strengthen collective performance.

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Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study uniquely shows that tenacity—a vital personal energy resource—does more than shield employees from stress; it helps turn adversity into collaboration. Extending COR theory, it finds that personal energy is most valuable when employees face dual role conflicts, within work and between work and family, which heighten motivation to share knowledge. Unlike past research viewing conflict as purely draining, this study reveals how strain can spark resource gain spirals through knowledge exchange and collective resilience. This timely research offers insight into how employees sustain collaboration in today’s hybrid, boundary-blurring work settings. Conducted in Mexico, it provides cross-cultural evidence that in uncertainty-avoidant cultures, employees may channel stress into learning rather than withdrawal. The findings highlight the strategic importance of fostering tenacious, knowledge-sharing cultures—workplaces where employees draw strength, adaptability, and creativity from one another despite competing work and family demands.