The effect of knowledge visualization on attitude: scale development and application in Europe and China

Visual representations of information can offer several benefits compared to text communication. This study examines the effect of knowledge visualization, compared to a text control condition, on attitude toward the content, specifically an organizational strategy.Companies operating across borders face great challenges in ensuring compliance with the strategy in different cultural contexts. Recent research evidence showcases the cognitive and emotional benefits of utilizing visual representations of knowledge in organizations. An experiment is conducted comparing two knowledge maps to a textual version of the same corporate strategy. In order to measure attitudes toward the strategy, a scale is developed and tested in Europe and China. The study outcome provides a parsimonious and effective tripartite scale of attitude toward strategy with cognitive, affective and behavioral components. The scale is then applied to a different sample to test the effect of mapping the strategy visually on attitudes toward the strategy, and to test whether the effect is persistent in Europe and China. The results of the experiment show that subjects exposed to the visual conditions had a significant more positive affective and cognitive attitude toward the content.