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Aimée A Kane

Duquesne University, Management, Faculty Member

Duquesne University, Marketing and Management, Faculty Member

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Aimée A. Kane is an Associate Professor of Management in at the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business at Duquesne University. An overarching question motivates Dr. Kane's research: what enables people who are separated by boundaries, (e.g., social distinctions, organizational boundaries, national cultures) to learn from one another, collaborate effectively, and become agents of change and innovation?

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Royal Holloway, University of London

NYU Stern School of Business

Laurence Romani

Stockholm School of Economics

Anne-Marie Søderberg

Copenhagen Business School, CBS

Stephan Manning

University of Sussex

IT University of Copenhagen

Jerzy Kociatkiewicz

Institut Mines-Telecom

NTNU

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Papers by Aimée A Kane

Am I still one of them?”: Bicultural immigrant managers navigating social identity threats when spanning global boundaries

Journal of Management Studies,, 2017

We examine the practice of nominating bicultural immigrants to manage knowledge-intensive project... more We examine the practice of nominating bicultural immigrants to manage knowledge-intensive projects sourced from their host to their home countries. We focus on their actions vis-à-vis global collaborators and unpack psychological processes involved. Managers in these positions have to navigate the workplace social identity threat that arises from being associated with the home country group – a lower status group in this context. How they navigate this threat shapes the way they use their bicultural competencies and authority as managers. When they embrace their home country identity, immigrant managers tend to enable knowledge-based boundary spanning through actions empowering home country collaborators, such as teaching missing competencies, connecting to important stakeholders, and soliciting input. Instead, when distancing from their home country identity, they tend to hinder collaborators by micromanaging, narrowing communication channels, and suppressing input. We develop theoretical implications for the study of global boundary spanning, bicultural managers, and workplace social identity.

Language and Group Processes: An Integrative, Interdisciplinary Review

by Lyn Van Swol and Aimée A Kane

Small Group Research, 2019

This article reviews research that examines the use of language in small interacting groups and ... more This article reviews research that examines the use of language in small interacting groups and teams. We propose a model of group inputs (e.g., status), processes and emergent states (e.g., cohesion, influence, and innovation), and outputs (e.g., performance and member well-being) to help structure our review. The model is integrated with how language is used by groups to both reflect group inputs but also to examine how language interacts with inputs to affect group processes and create emergent states in groups, and then ultimately helps add value to the group with outputs (e.g., performance). Using cross-disciplinary research, our review finds that language is integral to how groups coordinate, interrelate, and adapt. For example, language convergence is related to increased group cohesion and group performance. Our model provides the theoretical scaffolding to consider language use in interacting small groups and suggests areas for future research.

How newcomers influence group utilization of their knowledge: Integrating versus differentiating strategies

Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2015

The present research contributes to the literature on group learning and group socialization by e... more The present research contributes to the literature on group learning and group socialization by examining whether newcomers can actively influence the extent to which groups socially accept them and, in turn, utilize their unique knowledge. We propose that groups will respond more positively toward newcomers who use an integrating language-based strategy (i.e., plural pronouns) that emphasizes their new group identity than toward newcomers who use the more common differentiating language-based strategy (i.e., singular pronouns) that emphasizes their personal identity and separation from the group. The paper reports two experiments (an interactive group study and a scenario study) that support this proposition, suggesting that group utilization of newcomer knowledge depends, in part, on the way newcomers contribute their knowledge. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

When and how groups utilize dissenting newcomer knowledge: Newcomers’ future prospects condition the effect of language-based identity strategies

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2016

Two experiments suggest that newcomers’ structural role (permanent vs. temporary appointment) in ... more Two experiments suggest that newcomers’ structural role (permanent vs. temporary appointment) in the groups they enter conditions the extent to which their use of language-based identity strategies (integrating vs. differentiating) influences groups’ willingness to accept them and utilize their dissenting task knowledge. For newcomers with permanent future prospects, the use of integrating pronouns leads to greater acceptance than the use of differentiating pronouns, and newcomer acceptance is in turn a key mediator of groups’ willingness to utilize their knowledge. For newcomers with temporary future prospects, however, the use of integrating pronouns (vs. differentiating pronouns) does not positively influence their acceptance, nor does newcomer acceptance determine the willingness of groups to utilize their knowledge. The theory supported by these studies advances group socialization literature by elucidating when and how groups are receptive to dissenting newcomers.

To Join or Not to Join: An Investigation of Individual Facilitators and Inhibitors of Medical Faculty Participation in Interdisciplinary Research Teams

by Theresa Lant and Aimée A Kane

Clinical and Translational Science, 2011

Interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams are an important mechanism for facilitating medical breakt... more Interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams are an important mechanism for facilitating medical breakthroughs. This study investigates the role of individual-level predictors of the choice to join a new IDR team at a major medical institution. We collected survey data from a sample of 233 faculty members who were given the opportunity to participate in IDR teams that had recently formed around a wide range of medical topic areas. Our results suggest that even under supportive organizational conditions, some medical experts were more likely to participate than others. Specifi cally, basic and translational researchers, associate professors, and faculty with distinctive topic area expertise and with more experience collaborating across departmental boundaries participated at a greater rate than their peers. Our fi ndings have implications for research, practice, and policy focused on overcoming the challenges of drawing together diverse medical experts into IDR teams with the potential to advance knowledge to prevent, cure, and treat complex medical conditions.

Unlocking knowledge transfer potential: Knowledge demonstrability and superordinate social identity

This study presents a conceptual model of when and how knowledge demonstrability and superordinat... more This study presents a conceptual model of when and how knowledge demonstrability and superordinate social identity impact the likelihood that organizations capitalize on their knowledge resources. To test the model, an experimental methodology was used in which a member transfers from one group to another, transmitting knowledge in the form of a production routine. As predicted, work groups unlocked the knowledge transfer potential arising from personnel movement more often when they shared a superordinate identity than when they did not share such an identity, and this identity effect was moderated by knowledge demonstrability. When knowledge was less demonstrable with concealed merits, it was more likely to transfer between groups that shared a superordinate identity, compared to groups that did not share such an identity. By contrast, when knowledge was more demonstrable with apparent merits, it was as likely to transfer between groups that shared a superordinate identity compared to groups that did not share such an identity. As predicted, superordinate identity induced knowledge consideration, the focusing of group attention on determining the value of another’s knowledge. Mediated moderation analyses revealed that this process underlies knowledge transfer. Superordinate social identity induced thorough knowledge consideration, which was more important for recognizing the value of knowledge when its merits were concealed rather than apparent. Because the merits of many organizational routines and practices are concealed and superordinate identity appears to be a key to unlocking the knowledge transfer potential of less demonstrable knowledge, this study has important implications for managing knowledge resources.

Unlocking Knowledge Transfer Potential: Knowledge Demonstrability and Superordinate Social Identity

Organization Science, 2010

ABSTRACT

Conflict and change in teams: The innovative newcomer challenge

Handbook of Conflict Management Research, 2014

Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets, 2015

Teammate inaccuracy blindness

Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing - CSCW '14, 2014

Superordinate Identity and Knowledge Creation and Transfer in Organizations

Knowledge Governance, 2009

Knowledge transfer between groups via personnel rotation: Effects of social identity and knowledge quality

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2005

The study examines the effects of social identity and knowledge quality on knowledge transfer acr... more The study examines the effects of social identity and knowledge quality on knowledge transfer across groups. One hundred and forty-four students performed a production task in three-person groups. Midway through the task, a member from a different group rotated into each group. The primary dependent variable was whether the group adopted the production routine of the rotating member. Analyses revealed the predicted main and interactive effects. Groups were more likely to adopt the routine of a rotator when they shared a superordinate social identity with that member than when they did not. Groups were also more likely to adopt a routine from a rotator when it was superior than when it was inferior to their own. Further, superordinate groups adopted the production routine of the rotator when it was superior but not inferior to their own, whereas groups that did not share a superordinate identity with the rotator generally did not adopt the rotatorÕs production routine, even when it was superior to their own and would have improved their performance.

To Join or Not to Join: An Investigation of Individual Facilitators and Inhibitors of Medical Faculty Participation in Interdisciplinary Research Teams

Clinical and Translational Science, 2011

Interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams are an important mechanism for facilitating medical breakt... more Interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams are an important mechanism for facilitating medical breakthroughs. This study investigates the role of individual-level predictors of the choice to join a new IDR team at a major medical institution. We collected survey data from a sample of 233 faculty members who were given the opportunity to participate in IDR teams that had recently formed around a wide range of medical topic areas. Our results suggest that even under supportive organizational conditions, some medical experts were more likely to participate than others. Specifically, basic and translational researchers, associate professors, and faculty with distinctive topic area expertise and with more experience collaborating across departmental boundaries participated at a greater rate than their peers. Our findings have implications for research, practice, and policy focused on overcoming the challenges of drawing together diverse medical experts into IDR teams with the potential to advance knowledge to prevent, cure, and treat complex medical conditions.

I AM NOT ONE OF THEM ANYMORE': ONSHORE IMMIGRANT MANAGERS ON OFFSHORED SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

by Aimée A Kane and Natalia Levina

Team Receptivity to Newcomers: Five Decades of Evidence and Future Research Themes

by Gerben van der Vegt, Aimée A Kane, and Naomi Ellemers

The Academy of Management Annals, 2013

Am I still one of them?”: Bicultural immigrant managers navigating social identity threats when spanning global boundaries

Journal of Management Studies,, 2017

We examine the practice of nominating bicultural immigrants to manage knowledge-intensive project... more We examine the practice of nominating bicultural immigrants to manage knowledge-intensive projects sourced from their host to their home countries. We focus on their actions vis-à-vis global collaborators and unpack psychological processes involved. Managers in these positions have to navigate the workplace social identity threat that arises from being associated with the home country group – a lower status group in this context. How they navigate this threat shapes the way they use their bicultural competencies and authority as managers. When they embrace their home country identity, immigrant managers tend to enable knowledge-based boundary spanning through actions empowering home country collaborators, such as teaching missing competencies, connecting to important stakeholders, and soliciting input. Instead, when distancing from their home country identity, they tend to hinder collaborators by micromanaging, narrowing communication channels, and suppressing input. We develop theoretical implications for the study of global boundary spanning, bicultural managers, and workplace social identity.

Language and Group Processes: An Integrative, Interdisciplinary Review

by Lyn Van Swol and Aimée A Kane

Small Group Research, 2019

This article reviews research that examines the use of language in small interacting groups and ... more This article reviews research that examines the use of language in small interacting groups and teams. We propose a model of group inputs (e.g., status), processes and emergent states (e.g., cohesion, influence, and innovation), and outputs (e.g., performance and member well-being) to help structure our review. The model is integrated with how language is used by groups to both reflect group inputs but also to examine how language interacts with inputs to affect group processes and create emergent states in groups, and then ultimately helps add value to the group with outputs (e.g., performance). Using cross-disciplinary research, our review finds that language is integral to how groups coordinate, interrelate, and adapt. For example, language convergence is related to increased group cohesion and group performance. Our model provides the theoretical scaffolding to consider language use in interacting small groups and suggests areas for future research.

How newcomers influence group utilization of their knowledge: Integrating versus differentiating strategies

Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2015

The present research contributes to the literature on group learning and group socialization by e... more The present research contributes to the literature on group learning and group socialization by examining whether newcomers can actively influence the extent to which groups socially accept them and, in turn, utilize their unique knowledge. We propose that groups will respond more positively toward newcomers who use an integrating language-based strategy (i.e., plural pronouns) that emphasizes their new group identity than toward newcomers who use the more common differentiating language-based strategy (i.e., singular pronouns) that emphasizes their personal identity and separation from the group. The paper reports two experiments (an interactive group study and a scenario study) that support this proposition, suggesting that group utilization of newcomer knowledge depends, in part, on the way newcomers contribute their knowledge. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

When and how groups utilize dissenting newcomer knowledge: Newcomers’ future prospects condition the effect of language-based identity strategies

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2016

Two experiments suggest that newcomers’ structural role (permanent vs. temporary appointment) in ... more Two experiments suggest that newcomers’ structural role (permanent vs. temporary appointment) in the groups they enter conditions the extent to which their use of language-based identity strategies (integrating vs. differentiating) influences groups’ willingness to accept them and utilize their dissenting task knowledge. For newcomers with permanent future prospects, the use of integrating pronouns leads to greater acceptance than the use of differentiating pronouns, and newcomer acceptance is in turn a key mediator of groups’ willingness to utilize their knowledge. For newcomers with temporary future prospects, however, the use of integrating pronouns (vs. differentiating pronouns) does not positively influence their acceptance, nor does newcomer acceptance determine the willingness of groups to utilize their knowledge. The theory supported by these studies advances group socialization literature by elucidating when and how groups are receptive to dissenting newcomers.

To Join or Not to Join: An Investigation of Individual Facilitators and Inhibitors of Medical Faculty Participation in Interdisciplinary Research Teams

by Theresa Lant and Aimée A Kane

Clinical and Translational Science, 2011

Interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams are an important mechanism for facilitating medical breakt... more Interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams are an important mechanism for facilitating medical breakthroughs. This study investigates the role of individual-level predictors of the choice to join a new IDR team at a major medical institution. We collected survey data from a sample of 233 faculty members who were given the opportunity to participate in IDR teams that had recently formed around a wide range of medical topic areas. Our results suggest that even under supportive organizational conditions, some medical experts were more likely to participate than others. Specifi cally, basic and translational researchers, associate professors, and faculty with distinctive topic area expertise and with more experience collaborating across departmental boundaries participated at a greater rate than their peers. Our fi ndings have implications for research, practice, and policy focused on overcoming the challenges of drawing together diverse medical experts into IDR teams with the potential to advance knowledge to prevent, cure, and treat complex medical conditions.

Unlocking knowledge transfer potential: Knowledge demonstrability and superordinate social identity

This study presents a conceptual model of when and how knowledge demonstrability and superordinat... more This study presents a conceptual model of when and how knowledge demonstrability and superordinate social identity impact the likelihood that organizations capitalize on their knowledge resources. To test the model, an experimental methodology was used in which a member transfers from one group to another, transmitting knowledge in the form of a production routine. As predicted, work groups unlocked the knowledge transfer potential arising from personnel movement more often when they shared a superordinate identity than when they did not share such an identity, and this identity effect was moderated by knowledge demonstrability. When knowledge was less demonstrable with concealed merits, it was more likely to transfer between groups that shared a superordinate identity, compared to groups that did not share such an identity. By contrast, when knowledge was more demonstrable with apparent merits, it was as likely to transfer between groups that shared a superordinate identity compared to groups that did not share such an identity. As predicted, superordinate identity induced knowledge consideration, the focusing of group attention on determining the value of another’s knowledge. Mediated moderation analyses revealed that this process underlies knowledge transfer. Superordinate social identity induced thorough knowledge consideration, which was more important for recognizing the value of knowledge when its merits were concealed rather than apparent. Because the merits of many organizational routines and practices are concealed and superordinate identity appears to be a key to unlocking the knowledge transfer potential of less demonstrable knowledge, this study has important implications for managing knowledge resources.

Unlocking Knowledge Transfer Potential: Knowledge Demonstrability and Superordinate Social Identity

Organization Science, 2010

ABSTRACT

Conflict and change in teams: The innovative newcomer challenge

Handbook of Conflict Management Research, 2014

Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets, 2015

Teammate inaccuracy blindness

Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing - CSCW '14, 2014

Superordinate Identity and Knowledge Creation and Transfer in Organizations

Knowledge Governance, 2009

Knowledge transfer between groups via personnel rotation: Effects of social identity and knowledge quality

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2005

The study examines the effects of social identity and knowledge quality on knowledge transfer acr... more The study examines the effects of social identity and knowledge quality on knowledge transfer across groups. One hundred and forty-four students performed a production task in three-person groups. Midway through the task, a member from a different group rotated into each group. The primary dependent variable was whether the group adopted the production routine of the rotating member. Analyses revealed the predicted main and interactive effects. Groups were more likely to adopt the routine of a rotator when they shared a superordinate social identity with that member than when they did not. Groups were also more likely to adopt a routine from a rotator when it was superior than when it was inferior to their own. Further, superordinate groups adopted the production routine of the rotator when it was superior but not inferior to their own, whereas groups that did not share a superordinate identity with the rotator generally did not adopt the rotatorÕs production routine, even when it was superior to their own and would have improved their performance.

To Join or Not to Join: An Investigation of Individual Facilitators and Inhibitors of Medical Faculty Participation in Interdisciplinary Research Teams

Clinical and Translational Science, 2011

Interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams are an important mechanism for facilitating medical breakt... more Interdisciplinary research (IDR) teams are an important mechanism for facilitating medical breakthroughs. This study investigates the role of individual-level predictors of the choice to join a new IDR team at a major medical institution. We collected survey data from a sample of 233 faculty members who were given the opportunity to participate in IDR teams that had recently formed around a wide range of medical topic areas. Our results suggest that even under supportive organizational conditions, some medical experts were more likely to participate than others. Specifically, basic and translational researchers, associate professors, and faculty with distinctive topic area expertise and with more experience collaborating across departmental boundaries participated at a greater rate than their peers. Our findings have implications for research, practice, and policy focused on overcoming the challenges of drawing together diverse medical experts into IDR teams with the potential to advance knowledge to prevent, cure, and treat complex medical conditions.

I AM NOT ONE OF THEM ANYMORE': ONSHORE IMMIGRANT MANAGERS ON OFFSHORED SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

by Aimée A Kane and Natalia Levina

Team Receptivity to Newcomers: Five Decades of Evidence and Future Research Themes

by Gerben van der Vegt, Aimée A Kane, and Naomi Ellemers

The Academy of Management Annals, 2013