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Knowledge is considered as a strategic asset for the organizations, especially for knowledge-intensive firms. Research and development (R&D) is a significant unit in organizations, as it is devoted to knowledge creation and transfer. The success of any R&D project in an organization depends on its innovative value and the transfer of knowledge to the employees. This study aims to focus on factors triggering knowledge-hiding behavior among R&D employees, thus disrupting the knowledge creation in the organization.

The grounded theory approach has been used to analyze qualitative data collected from 19 in-depth interviews of R&D professionals (middle and junior level) working in Indian pharmaceutical firms.

The study identified factors that triggered knowledge-hiding behavior among employees. These factors include distrust, competitive work environment, perceived career insecurity, lack of recognition, lack of reciprocation and lack of confidence in own knowledge. In addition, four hiding strategies used by employees to hide their knowledge from their fellow members were explored and identified: playing innocent, being misleader/evasive hiding, rationalized hiding and counter-questioning.

Besides improving the understanding of knowledge-hiding behavior, particularly in the Indian context, this study has implications for both managerial practices and organizational policies.

This paper highlights the factors influencing knowledge-hiding behavior among R&D employees. Knowledge-hiding construct has not been adequately studied; however, it prevails in the organization and has potential to influence various individual- and organizational-level outcomes. In addition, ways of hiding knowledge used by employees were identified and new forms of strategies named “counter-questioning” were found.

As a counterproductive interpersonal work behavior, knowledge hiding inhibits team creativity, hampers collaboration and ultimately has a detrimental impact on organizational performance. Drawing upon the impression management perspective. This study aims to investigate how and when employees’ political skill affects their knowledge-hiding behavior in real work contexts.

The authors tested the hypotheses using data gathered from 266 employees in China using a time-lagged research design.

The results indicate that political skill positively influences knowledge hiding through the supplication strategy. Moreover, the positive effect of political skill on this strategy is stronger under higher levels of competition.

A cross-sectional design and the use of self-report questionnaires are the limitations of this study.

The authors contribute to the literature on the emergence of knowledge hiding by identifying an impression management perspective. The authors also contribute to the literature on political skill by exploring the potential negative effects of political skill in the interpersonal interaction. Moreover, the authors enrich the understanding of the literature in competitive climate by introducing the impression management theory and exploring its influence on knowledge floating.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how firms can mitigate knowledge hiding behavior among their managers.

This study employs a multiple case study methodology by studying nine UAE based firms. Furthermore, 26 semi-structured interviews with senior managers are undertaken.

Based on the qualitative interviews and comprehensive data analysis, results unveil six strategies that firms can opt for in order to mitigate knowledge hiding behavior among managers (reducing chain of command, developing informal interaction among managers, introducing and implementing incentive policy, initiating easy performance appraisal, encouraging higher interdependency among managers and introducing open space work stations).

This study has some limitations. First, the results of this study are not generalizable to a broader population. Second, this study explores behavioral patterns with respect to United Arab Emirates culture only. Second, the results presented in this study should be tested.

Firms can use the findings from this study to understand strategies that can help them to mitigate the knowledge hiding behavior of managers.

This study contributes to knowledge hiding literature by revealing strategies, which discourages knowledge hiding behavior in firms.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how firms can mitigate knowledge hiding behavior among their managers.

This study employs a multiple case study methodology for studying nine United Arab Emirates-based (UAE-based) firms. Furthermore, 26 semi-structured interviews with senior managers are undertaken.

Based on the qualitative interviews and comprehensive data analysis, results unveil three strategies that firms can opt for in order to mitigate knowledge hiding behavior among managers (reducing chain of command, developing informal interaction among managers, introducing and implementing incentive policy.

This study has some limitations. First, the results of this study are not generalizable to a broader population. Second, this study explores behavioral patterns with respect to the UAE culture only.

Firms can use the findings from this study to understand strategies that can help them to mitigate the knowledge hiding behavior of managers.

This study contributes to knowledge hiding literature by revealing strategies which discourages knowledge hiding behavior in firms.

This paper aims to explore the implications of virtual work arrangements on employee knowledge hiding (KH) behaviour and the different strategies of KH used by employees in these arrangements.

Following a grounded theory approach to understanding KH, 21 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with employees engaged in virtual working setups. The data collected from these informants were then analysed using qualitative methods.

The study revealed that virtual work arrangements increase employee KH behaviour because of three reasons: ease of hiding, digital burnout and loss of control. Further, the study found that rationalized hiding is the most commonly adopted strategy by employees engaged in virtual work arrangements, while inclinations towards evasive hiding strategy decrease in this arrangement.

This is the first study in knowledge management literature that seeks to explain KH in the virtual work context.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Recent scholars have established that knowledge hiding does not equate to the lack of knowledge sharing. Due to a scarcity of papers on knowledge hiding, this paper aims to understand the mechanisms through which ethical leadership influences knowledge hiding based on social learning theory and social cognitive theory.

The field study involves 243 employees from public listed companies in Malaysia. Partial least square structural equation modelling is used to test the hypothesised relationships.

The results indicate that moral disengagement mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and knowledge hiding. Furthermore, organisational commitment moderates the negative relationship between ethical leadership and knowledge hiding, such that the negative relationship is stronger when organisational commitment is high.

This study is the first to investigate the influence of ethical leadership on knowledge hiding through the mediating effect of moral disengagement. Moreover, organisational commitment is an important boundary condition for the relationship between ethical leadership and knowledge hiding. The implications for practice and future research are also discussed.

Grounded on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examines the relationship between tyrannical leadership and knowledge hiding. Additionally, this study aims to investigate the mediating role of psychological distress and the moderating role of psychological safety.

Data was gathered from 435 employees in the corporate sector in China. The study used the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach to assess the proposed connections and analysed the data collected with the help of SmartPLS 4 software.

In the study, it was found that there is a positive relationship between tyrannical leadership and knowledge hiding, and this association is mediated by psychological distress. Additionally, the results asserted that the positive effect of tyrannical leadership on knowledge hiding through psychological distress is less pronounced when there is a greater degree of psychological safety.

Leaders should avoid being tyrannical and adopt a supportive leadership style. They should be aware of the effects of their behaviour on employee well-being, provide resources to help employees cope with distress and foster a culture of psychological safety. This approach promotes knowledge sharing, innovation and employee well-being within the organisation.

This study contributes to the existing literature by investigating a new factor that influences knowledge hiding: tyrannical leadership. Furthermore, it explains that employees who experience tyrannical leadership are more prone to psychological distress, such as anxiety and fear, and are likelier to engage in knowledge-hiding behaviours. Finally, the study identifies psychological safety as a factor that can mitigate the negative effects of tyrannical leadership on knowledge hiding.

The purpose of this research study is to determine the ways in which employees’ personal power-expert and referent power influences their knowledge sharing and hiding behaviour. There are hardly any studies that have investigated the effects of employee power and expectations regarding the consequences of divulging knowledge. In this study, the authors investigate whether expected gains and losses in employee personal power influence employees’ willingness to participate in knowledge transfer.

The authors adopted a two-wave survey design and collected critical data from 288 employees of knowledge-intensive industries identified through online techno-groups, such as Stack Exchange. In the first wave, out of the total, 192 knowledge workers attended the follow-up survey. The authors apply polynomial regression followed by surface response analysis to establish the effects of any discrepancy between the current levels of employees’ personal power and their expected levels if they divulge their unique critical knowledge.

The authors find out that employees having relatively strong personal power are more likely to share knowledge, and the expected losses in power are categorically associated with a reduced intention to share knowledge. The authors also observed an increased knowledge hiding with expected losses in power. Surprisingly, the authors find that these established negative outcomes are also specifically associated with the expected gains in personal power.

The most significant contribution of this study is to establish that power plays an important but complex role in determining the employees’ participation in knowledge transfer activities. The authors specifically conclude that the optimal scenario for knowledge sharing is one in which the employees’ contributions are fairly valued and their reputation is not expected to change because of knowledge sharing.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first comprehensive studies that link power to both sharing and hiding of knowledge. This study is also unique in terms of its investigation of the effects of any discrepancy between current levels of employees’ personal power and their expected levels if they share or hide their unique critical knowledge. Thus, this research study is a unique contribution in terms of what and why of an untouched area in the entire knowledge management literature with a special focus on knowledge sharing and hiding.

This study investigates the role of personality disorders in the context of counterproductive knowledge behavior.

Data were collected through a survey administered to 120 full-time employees recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Personality disorders were measured by means of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV.

Personality disorders play an important role in the context of counterproductive knowledge behavior: employees suffering from various personality disorders are likely to hide knowledge from their fellow coworkers and engage in knowledge sabotage. Of particular importance are dependent, narcissistic and sadistic personality disorders as well as schizophrenic and delusional severe clinical syndromes. There is a need for a paradigm shift in terms of how the research community should portray those who engage in counterproductive knowledge behavior, reconsidering the underlying assumption that all of them act deliberately, consciously and rationally. Unexpectedly, most personality disorders do not facilitate knowledge hoarding.

Organizations should provide insurance coverage for the treatment of personality disorders, assist those seeking treatment, inform employees about the existence of personality disorders in the workplace and their impact on interemployee relationships, facilitate a stress-free work environment, remove social stigma that may be associated with personality disorders and, as a last resort, reassign workers suffering from extreme forms of personality disorders to tasks that require less interemployee interaction (instead of terminating them).

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work represents one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the notion of personality disorders in the context of knowledge management.