The impact of individual-level external social capital on knowledge integration in interdisciplinary collaboration from the social cognitive perspective

Purpose How does external social capital (ESC) influence knowledge integration (KI) in interdisciplinary collaboration? Moving beyond the resource-access and transaction-cost perspectives, this study aims to theorize role-breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) as a motivational mechanism explaining the relationship between ESC and KI, drawing on social cognitive theory. Furthermore, it posits task complexity (TC) as a boundary condition for this mediating effect. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 362 individuals engaged in interdisciplinary collaboration in China using an online structured questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses and Monte Carlo bootstrapping were employed to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results showed that ESC was positively associated with RBSE and had an indirect positive effect on KI through RBSE. Moreover, the indirect relationship was positively moderated by TC. Originality/value This study advances theoretical development by identifying and testing RBSE as a key motivational mechanism for ESC in interdisciplinary collaborative contexts. It highlights the importance of ESC and TC, as well as their interactive role in the motivational process linking ESC to KI, which contributes to the development of intellectual capital theory.