In-group oriented members of collectivist cultures would tend to focus on the needs of various collectivities they belong to, which is why they might be more willing to share what they know with others. At the same time, a potential barrier to knowledge sharing in such cultures could be the sharper distinction made between in-group and out-group members. Put differently, an employee might stay away from sharing knowledge with someone not considered a member of a narrowly defined in-group (even though these employees could be members of the same larger organization they in which they both
belong).