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Allies or rivals: how abusive supervision influences subordinates’ knowledge hiding from colleagues

Changyu Wang (School of Business, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China)
Jiaojiao Feng (School of Business Administration, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China)
Xinze Li (School of Business, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China)

Management Decision

ISSN: 0025-1747

Article publication date: 2 March 2021

Issue publication date: 2 November 2021

1103

Abstract

Purpose

Previous research suggests that abusive supervision has a positive effect on subordinates’ behaviors of knowledge hiding. However, the authors argue that this effect depends on the level of team abusive supervision differentiation. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory and social comparison theory, this study tries to explain how the level of team abusive supervision differentiation, in conjunction with individuals' own experiences of abusive supervision, influences the focal subordinate's knowledge hiding from their colleagues.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper addresses a sample of 412 employees nested in 73 groups and tests an original model using structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results show that abusive supervision would indirectly promote subordinates' knowledge hiding toward coworkers via emotional exhaustion, and team abusive supervision differentiation has a positive moderating effect on the above indirect relationship.

Practical implications

Human resource management (HRM) practices should be used to reduce abusive supervision both at individual and team level and minimize employees' emotional exhaustion, thereby affecting knowledge hiding from coworkers.

Originality/value

Results show that whether a subordinate's experience of abusive supervision leads to knowledge hiding via emotional exhaustion depends on the level of team abusive supervision differentiation. This finding adds to the literature about abusive supervision and knowledge hiding.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 71901106) and the Ministry of Education of Humanities and Social Science Project (grant number 18YJC630169), Philosophy and Social Science Foundation in Colleges and Universities of Jiangsu Education Department (grant number 2018SJA0818) and “Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities”, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (2722020JCG047, 2722020JCT021).

Citation

Wang, C., Feng, J. and Li, X. (2021), "Allies or rivals: how abusive supervision influences subordinates’ knowledge hiding from colleagues", Management Decision, Vol. 59 No. 12, pp. 2827-2847. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-07-2020-0960

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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