Seeing eye to eye: how perceptual congruence in knowledge sharing drives group task performance and organization-directed citizenship behavior

Purpose This study aims to examine how perceptual congruence between supervisors’ provided and team members’ received knowledge sharing influences group performance outcomes, with group felt obligation as a mediating mechanism. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on social exchange theory, the authors conducted a time-lagged study with 318 police officers in 107 teams in South Korea. Using polynomial regression and response surface methodology, the authors tested knowledge-sharing congruence effects on group performance outcomes, with block variable approach and bootstrapping to examine group felt obligation’s mediating role. Findings Results reveal three key insights into knowledge-sharing dynamics. First, perceptual congruence between supervisors’ provided and team members’ received knowledge sharing enhances both dimensions of group performance outcomes. Second, these effects intensify at higher levels of congruence, indicating greater performance benefits when supervisors and team members both perceive extensive knowledge sharing. Third, perceptual incongruence produces asymmetric effects on group performance outcomes − specifically, outcomes decline more severely when team members overestimate the knowledge they receive compared to when supervisors overestimate the knowledge they provide. In addition, mediation analyses confirm group felt obligation as the key mechanism linking knowledge-sharing congruence to group performance outcomes. Originality/value This research advances knowledge management literature by shifting focus from knowledge transfer to perceptual alignment in knowledge utilization. Effective knowledge sharing depends not only on quantity but also on perceptual congruence, shaping both task performance and discretionary contributions at the group level.