Abstract
The paper describes two related studies that investigated skill transfer between the same workgroups of a bank over a period of 3 months. During this period the smaller group trained the larger group in customer relationship management skills. At the beginning and the end of this period, group members had to describe their interpersonal and intergroup relationships in diagrams using predefined diagrammatic items. The analysis of the diagrams showed that interpersonal characteristics such as friendship, respect, good manners, and interpersonal contact correlate higher with skill transfer (significance level p< 0.01) than intergroup characteristics, which had no significant correlation with skill transfer. A comparison of the two sets of diagrams after two weeks and three months also showed a polarization effect, in that after three months most relationships became more harmonious or more conflict-laden. The latter relationships led to a reduction in skill transfer. This result modifies the contact hypothesis, which emphasized the benefits of close intergroup contact. Consequences for intergroup skill transfer are discussed.
