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Article
Publication date: 28 March 2023

Kaung-Hwa Chen and Ying Ye

This study motivated by humanistic care aims to identify hospitality frontline employees’ alienation in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic, and based on the job demands-resources…

Abstract

Purpose

This study motivated by humanistic care aims to identify hospitality frontline employees’ alienation in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic, and based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the mediating role of alienation between job characteristics and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors drew on the JD-R model to delineate the mechanisms by which job demands (including emotional dissonance and work–home conflict) and job resources (including job support, training and possibility for career development) affect OCB through employees’ alienation. This study adopted snowball sampling and purposive sampling to conduct a questionnaire survey aimed at Taiwanese hospitality frontline employees. A total of 373 valid questionnaires were retained, and structural equation model was used to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed that job demands of emotional dissonance and work–family conflict positively affect alienation; job resources of job support, training and possibility for career development negatively affect alienation; alienation negatively affects OCB; and alienation mediates the relationship between job characteristics and OCB fully.

Research limitations/implications

Considering that alienation plays a full mediating role between job characteristics and organizational outcomes, this study put forward specific suggestions on how to increase job resources and reduce job demands to weaken alienation and further improve organizational performance in management practices. And practical implications were provided to help hospitality human resource management deal with the issue of talents retention. In addition, “work authenticity” should be introduced as a mediator in the future research. “Work authenticity” reflects employees’ positive working life state and is the opposite of “alienation.” The effectiveness of employees’ positive and negative working life state in communicating job characteristics and organizational outcomes can be compared.

Originality/value

The specific alienation experience of hospitality frontline employees is defined. Moreover, by introducing the alienation theory, this study demonstrates the health impairment path of JD-R model and suggests that job characteristics affect OCB through the full mediation of alienation.

研究目的

本研究以人文关怀为动机, 明确了COVID-19疫情期间台湾酒店一线员工的异化状态, 并基于工作需求-资源理论模型, 探讨了异化在工作特性与组织公民行为之间发挥的中介作用。

研究设计/研究方法/研究路径

笔者运用工作需求-资源模型以阐释工作需求(包括情绪失调和工作-家庭冲突)和工作资源(包括工作支持、培训和职业发展潜能)透过员工的异化影响组织公民行为的机制。本研究采用滚雪球抽样和目的性抽样的抽样方式, 对台湾酒店一线员工开展问卷调查; 留存有效问卷373份, 并采用结构方程模型对研究假设进行检验。

研究发现

本研究揭示了情绪失调和工作-家庭冲突的工作需求正向影响异化; 工作支持、培训和职业发展潜能的工作资源对异化产生负面影响; 异化对组织公民行为产生负面影响; 异化在工作特性与组织公民行为的关系中起完全中介作用。

研究限制∕意涵

综合异化在工作特性与组织成果之间起着完全的中介作用, 本研究就管理实践中如何增加工作资源和减少工作需求以减弱异化并进一步提高组织绩效提出了具体建议, 以此帮助酒店人力资源管理部门处理留住人才的问题。此外, 应引入反映员工积极工作状态的“工作真实性”(即“异化”的对立面)作为中介, 比较员工积极和消极工作状态在沟通工作特性和组织成果上的有效性。

原创性

本研究明确了酒店一线员工具体的异化体验。此外, 透过引入异化理论, 本研究实证了工作需求-资源模型的健康损害路径, 并揭示了工作特性通过异化的完全中介作用影响组织公民行为。

Objetivoo

Este estudio motivado por la atención humanística identificó la alienación de los empleados de primera línea de la hostelería en Taiwán durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y, basándose en el modelo de exigencias laborales-recursos (JD-R), se analizó el papel mediador de la alienación entre las características laborales y el comportamiento de ciudadanía organizacional fue discutido.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Nos basamos en el modelo JD-R para delinear los mecanismos por los que las exigencias del puesto de trabajo (incluida la disonancia emocional y el conflicto entre el trabajo y el hogar) y los recursos del puesto de trabajo (incluido el apoyo laboral, la formación y la posibilidad de desarrollo profesional) afectan a la organización. Del comportamiento ciudadano (OCB) a través de la alienación de los empleados. Este estudio adoptó el muestreo de bola de nieve y el muestreo intencional para realizar una encuesta por cuestionario dirigida a los empleados de primera línea de la hostelería taiwanesa. Se obtuvieron 373 cuestionarios válidos y se utilizó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para probar las hipótesis de la investigación.

Resultados

Los resultados revelaron que las demandas laborales de disonancia emocional y conflicto trabajo-familia afectan positivamente a la alienación; los recursos laborales de apoyo al trabajo, formación y posibilidad de desarrollo profesional afectan negativamente a la alienación; la alienación afecta negativamente al comportamiento de ciudadanía organizacional; la alienación media totalmente la relación entre las características laborales y el comportamiento de ciudadanía organizacional.

Limitaciones/implicaciones de la investigación

Teniendo en cuenta que la alienación desempeña un papel mediador total entre las características del puesto de trabajo y los resultados organizativos, este estudio presentó sugerencias específicas sobre cómo aumentar los recursos del puesto de trabajo y reducir las exigencias del mismo para debilitar la alienación y mejorar aún más el desempeño organizacional en las prácticas de gestión. Y se aportaron implicaciones prácticas para ayudar a abordar la cuestión de retención de talentos en la gestión de los recursos humanos en la hostelería. Además, la “autenticidad del trabajo” debería introducirse como mediador en la investigación futura. La “autenticidad laboral” refleja el estado de vida laboral positivo de los empleados y es lo contrario de la “alienación”. Se puede comparar la eficacia del estado de vida laboral positivo y negativo de los empleados en la comunicación de las características del trabajo y los resultados organizacionales.

Originalidad/valor

Se define la experiencia específica de alienación de los empleados de primera línea de la hostelería. Además, mediante la introducción de la teoría de la alienación, este estudio demuestra la trayectoria de deterioro de la salud del modelo JD-R, y sugiere que las características del puesto de trabajo afectan al comportamiento de ciudadanía organizacional a través de la mediación total de la alienación.

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2024

Huihui Tang, Yan Liu, Raymond Loi, Cheris W. C. Chow and Ning Jiang

This study examines why and when nurses' role ambiguity leads to their work alienation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines why and when nurses' role ambiguity leads to their work alienation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 335 hospital nurses in Ma’anshan, China. The data were analyzed using hierarchical regression and bootstrapping.

Findings

Occupational disidentification mediated the relationship between role ambiguity and work alienation. This mediating effect was not significant when nurses possessed a high level of perceived climate of prioritizing COVID-19 infection prevention (PCIP).

Practical implications

To reduce nurses' work alienation in a pandemic situation, the hospital management team should pay attention to and try to minimize the nurses' role ambiguity and occupational disidentification. When doing so, the management team will find it particularly helpful if they can make nurses perceive a strong climate of PCIP.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing knowledge of role ambiguity and work alienation by highlighting occupational disidentification as a mediator after controlling for organizational identification in the context of COVID-19. It further demonstrates when the mediating role of occupational disidentification is likely to be strong or weak by studying the moderating effect of perceived climate of PCIP.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 39 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 20 December 2022

Dirk De Clercq, Tasneem Fatima and Bushra Khan

This research seeks to unpack a relevant, hitherto overlooked connection between employees' perception that family incivility is undermining their work and their displays of…

Abstract

Purpose

This research seeks to unpack a relevant, hitherto overlooked connection between employees' perception that family incivility is undermining their work and their displays of submissive behavior. The authors predict and test a mediating role of employees' work alienation beliefs and a moderating role of their ego resilience in this connection.

Design/methodology/approach

The research hypotheses were tested with survey data collected in three rounds, separated by three weeks each, among employees who work in the education sector in Pakistan. The statistical analyses relied on the PROCESS macro, which supports the simultaneous estimation of the direct, mediation and moderated mediation effects that underpin the proposed theoretical framework.

Findings

An important reason that victims of disrespectful treatment at home fail to fight for their rights at work is that they develop parallel beliefs of being disconnected from work. This intermediary role of work alienation beliefs is less prominent though when employees can rely on their personal resource of ego resilience.

Practical implications

For human resource (HR) managers, this research offers a critical explanation, related to a sense of being estranged from work, for why family-induced work hardships might cause employees to exhibit subservient behaviors at work. It further reveals how this process can be contained if employees have the capability to adapt flexibly to different situations.

Originality/value

This study contributes to extant research by explicating how and when family-induced work hardships might escalate into work responses that mirror employees' experiences at home.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 53 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 April 2024

Robert Perinbanayagam

Individuals develop and perform and process their identities in relationships with others as well as with the environment in which they find themselves, Many of these…

Abstract

Individuals develop and perform and process their identities in relationships with others as well as with the environment in which they find themselves, Many of these relationships with others are characterized by fundamental inequalities. In finding their identities, the subordinate in the relationship develops an identity that typically take steps – by vocal and non-vocal gestures – to perform this particularized identity. The identification of self is not only related to the others, with eachindividual in reflective communication, but also reflections characterized by inequality. In continuing to do so, he or she will experience a certain powerlessness, indeed what Marx called alienation.

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2023

Monica Trezise and Michael J. Richardson

As Australians experience more fierce and frequent natural disasters, there are urgent calls for businesses to meaningfully respond to climate change. Australian financial and…

Abstract

Purpose

As Australians experience more fierce and frequent natural disasters, there are urgent calls for businesses to meaningfully respond to climate change. Australian financial and professional services employees occupy an ambiguous space as climate mitigation measures have different economic implications for their clients. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Australian professionals experience climate change and respond to the issue within their workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

This mixed methods study applies a systems thinking framework to investigate: how do professionals’ experiences of the issue of climate change and the workplace influence their cognitions, emotions and behaviour? And in particular, what psychosocial antecedents precede voicing climate concern?

Findings

Firstly, a survey of professionals (N = 206) found social norms, perceived behavioural control and biospheric values, but not attitudes, significantly predicted prohibitive green voice. Middle managers were significantly likely to voice climate concern, whereas senior managers were significantly likely to express climate scepticism. Ten professionals were then interviewed to gain a contextualised understanding of these trends. Interpretive phenomenological analysis identified five interrelated themes: (1) active identity management, (2) understanding climate change is escalating, (3) workplace shapes climate change response, (4) frustration and alienation and (5) belief that corporations prioritise profit.

Originality/value

Findings are discussed in relation to how employees may both embody and adapt their organisations. These results have implications for understandings of workplace meaningfulness and organisational risk governance.

Details

International Journal of Ethics and Systems, vol. 40 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9369

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 April 2024

Miquel Centelles and Núria Ferran-Ferrer

Develop a comprehensive framework for assessing the knowledge organization systems (KOSs), including the taxonomy of Wikipedia and the ontologies of Wikidata, with a specific…

Abstract

Purpose

Develop a comprehensive framework for assessing the knowledge organization systems (KOSs), including the taxonomy of Wikipedia and the ontologies of Wikidata, with a specific focus on enhancing management and retrieval with a gender nonbinary perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs heuristic and inspection methods to assess Wikipedia’s KOS, ensuring compliance with international standards. It evaluates the efficiency of retrieving non-masculine gender-related articles using the Catalan Wikipedian category scheme, identifying limitations. Additionally, a novel assessment of Wikidata ontologies examines their structure and coverage of gender-related properties, comparing them to Wikipedia’s taxonomy for advantages and enhancements.

Findings

This study evaluates Wikipedia’s taxonomy and Wikidata’s ontologies, establishing evaluation criteria for gender-based categorization and exploring their structural effectiveness. The evaluation process suggests that Wikidata ontologies may offer a viable solution to address Wikipedia’s categorization challenges.

Originality/value

The assessment of Wikipedia categories (taxonomy) based on KOS standards leads to the conclusion that there is ample room for improvement, not only in matters concerning gender identity but also in the overall KOS to enhance search and retrieval for users. These findings bear relevance for the design of tools to support information retrieval on knowledge-rich websites, as they assist users in exploring topics and concepts.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 January 2024

Eleonora Concina, Sara Frate and Michele Biasutti

Hikikomori is a multidimensional condition, characterized by voluntarily social withdrawal, impacting the relational dimension of life. The current study aims to examine secondary…

Abstract

Purpose

Hikikomori is a multidimensional condition, characterized by voluntarily social withdrawal, impacting the relational dimension of life. The current study aims to examine secondary school teachers' beliefs, knowledge and needs on hikikomori and students' social withdrawal.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative method consisting of a semi-structured interview is adopted with 22 Italian secondary school teachers. The interview questions are focused on the beliefs, the profile, the conditions and the role of the school for adolescents socially retired.

Findings

Data are analysed using content analysis based on the grounded theory framework. Forty-nine codes emerged from the inductive analysis, which were sorted into the following categories: (1) Characteristics of hikikomori and social withdrawal; (2) Origin, causes and consequences; (3) Sources of information; (4) Socio-relational modalities; (5) Teachers' needs and role of the school. Teachers are aware of the educational issues and risks related to hikikomori and claim for more institutional support. Teachers reconsider the way of working in class for preventing the risk of self-isolation, supporting the development of social and emotional skills, and encouraging collaboration and positive exchanges among students. Participants mention a personalized student-centred method where families and external agencies support the school system.

Originality/value

Although several clinical and psychological interventions have been developed for treating the hikikomori’s self-isolation and concomitant mental disorders, few plans have been implemented for reducing the risk of adolescents' social withdrawal. Preventing hikikomori is crucial as well as to investigate the role and the needs of school teachers, and the current study has tried to explore these.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 38 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 November 2023

Diab M. Al-Badayneh, Anis Ben Brik and Amr Elwakad

This study aims to examine social determinants and social strains of cyberbullying victimization among expatriate populations in high-income countries such as Qatar. The authors…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine social determinants and social strains of cyberbullying victimization among expatriate populations in high-income countries such as Qatar. The authors argue that expatriate students will be exposed to stains and pressures due to several factors, such as feeling alienated, lonely, homesick, insecure and helpless. This study examines a partial assumption of general strain theory (GST), which posits that expats’ cyberbullying victimization can create negative stimuli that lead to negative feelings and, as a result, to delinquent behavior. The delinquent behavior can be seen as a coping method in encountering strains. Logistic regression analysis is applied (using SPSS v. 21) to test the hypothesis that the victimization of expats’ cyberbullying could lead to strain and delinquency.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 2,428 expatriate students (46% males and 54% females) was randomly selected from seven public schools in Qatar. The average number of siblings in the household was 2.7. Around 10.8% of the sample reported victimization by cyberbullying. Most came from intact families (80.6%) compared to 19.4 living in broken homes. Concerning the birth order of the student in the family, 25% of the sample were firstborn, and 20% were middle-born. Students’ mother relationships were higher than students’ father relationships (69% vs 51%, respectively). Fathers were higher in undergraduate education than mothers (60% vs 49%, respectively). Considering that 58% of women did not have a job, most fathers work in administrative positions (47% in administrative work and 39% in professional positions) as opposed to mothers’ positions (15% and 21%, respectively). The survey was distributed among expatriate students by trained researchers, teachers and social workers in public schools. The researchers explained the purpose of the study, confidentiality and potential risks and provided directions for completing the survey. Parents and their children provided signed informed consent before participation, following the institutional review boards of Qatar University’s Human Subject Research Committee and the Ministry of Social Development. The victimization of cyberbullying is measured at the dichotomy level by asking a general cyberbullying question (In the last 12 months, had you been bullied by other students using mobile messages, email, voice or video messages? Responses were 1 – yes and 0 – no). A definition of cyberbullying was included in the questionnaire. Independent measures are as follows: (1) demographic variables: gender, belief, health, number of friends and exposure to violence; (2) family variables: delinquent family, coercive parenting, family relations, family disputes, father absence and family ties; (3) school variables: school satisfaction, school violence, student fighting, teachers' violence, school truancy and going late to school; (4) imprudent behavior: smoking, alcohol, not using a seat belt, gambling, stealing less than 100 QR, chewing tobacco, stimuli, volatile drugs, sexual harassment, throwing garbage out of the car, cheating, vandalism and victimization.

Findings

Findings showed that n = 255, 10.8% of the expats’ sample N = 2,428 reported victimization of cyberbullying, of whom 46% were males and 54% were females. A total of 24% of the victims of cyberbullying were males, and 5.8% were females. About a third of the sample were cyberbullying perpetrators (n = 716, 29.5%). Victims of cyberbullying came from intact families (62.4%) compared to broken families (37.6%). A round third of the victims reported the absence of a father during their childhood (n = 78, 31.7%). Most of the victims came from a typical community compared to the delinquent community (71.2% vs 28.2%). About a third of the victims reported it was easy to talk with the father when needed (32% compared to 42.7%), who said it was easy. More than half of the victims do not use seat belts. A low percentage of them were gambling (n = 68, 27% or 2.9% of the total sample). Regarding escaping imprudent and delinquent behaviors, findings showed that a third and more than a tenth of the cyberbullying were smokers and alcoholics (n = 69, 27.4% and n = 42, 16.7% respectively). Moreover, among the most serious, widely spread student problems, around a quarter of the victims reported using chewing tobacco (Sweeka is the local name) (n = 54, 21.4%). Finally, drug use among victims was more than a tenth of them (n = 41, 16.3%). About a quarter of the victims reported stealing less than 100 QR (n = 67, 26.8% or 2.9% of the total sample). Concerning the crimes committed by victims, findings showed that more than forth of them committed assault (n = 71, 28.3%), student fights (n = 202, 80.8%), school violence (n = 117, 46.6%) and half of the victims (50.2%) were also victims of face-to-face bullying. Little below half of the sample was exposed to violence (n = 120, 48.6%) and was the victim of violence in the past 12 months (n = 100, 40.8%). A significant gender differences was found in the victimization of cyberbullying (1 = yes, 0 = no) (a = 000). Moreover, significant mean differences were found between expatriates student victimization of cyberbullying at (a = 000) in all strain variables. Using binary regression analysis to examine the equality of probability of being a victim of cyberbullying as accounted for by the independent variables, the model’s predictability was 89.4%. The Hosmer and Lemeshow test and omnibus tests support the model’s fit (a = 000). Nagelkerke R2 shows that the stain variables accounted for 24% of the variance in the expat's student victimization of cyberbullying.

Research limitations/implications

Conceptualization and determination of what constitutes cyberbullying from the criminal law perspective are needed. Cyberbullying is defined as a form of violence and crime involving new technologies (Sun et al., 2016, p. 62). Policymakers should provide accessible and equitable access to the criminal justice system, the integration of expatriates and the provision of support services to avoid delinquency.

Practical implications

A social cohesion, inclusion and well-being policy is needed for expatriate students and their families in Qatar. In particular, cultural diversity policy and programs, a source of strength and enrichment should be promoted in educational settings. Social inclusion and cultural diversity programs could ease the alienation and marginalization that expatriate students may encounter in their host societies to prevent stains and negative emotions that lead to delinquency and criminal behaviors. Access to support services without discrimination to avoid health and psychological strains and risk factors. This includes but is not limited to avoidance of stigmatization, embarrassment, sense of helplessness, humiliation and other negative feelings toward expatriates. Awareness and promotion of cultural diversity values are needed to enhance cultural acceptance to reduce victimization among the expatriate population. Criminal law and security implications conceptualization and determination of what constitutes cyberbullying from the criminal law perspective are needed. Cyberbullying is a form of violence and crime involving new technologies (Sun et al., 2016). Policymakers should provide accessible and equitable access to the criminal justice system, integrating expatriates and providing support services to avoid delinquency. There is a pressing need for further research within the realm of crime and law to establish the precise legal boundaries surrounding cyberbullying and to delineate the potential scope for legislative measures aimed at safeguarding against victimization in Qatar. Although the state of Qatar has taken steps to address cyberbullying by incorporating it into relevant legal frameworks, there remains a gap in terms of specifically targeting cyberbullying involving children and adolescents. Despite the introduction of the new Cybercrime Prevention Law, the issue of cyberbullying among these vulnerable groups is not adequately addressed.

Social implications

Social implication includes but is not limited to avoidance of stigmatization, embarrassment, sense of helplessness, humiliation and other negative feelings towards expatriate. Awareness and promotion of cultural diversity values is needed to enhance cultural acceptance to reduce victimization among expatriate population.

Originality/value

The present study examines some strain theory assumptions and the victimization of the cyberbullying expatriate population. This study tests a partial assumption of GST, which states that the expatriate population’s exposure to the victimization of cyberbullying can lead to negative stimuli that, in return, create negative feelings and, as a result, imprudent and delinquent behavior. The cyberbullying behavior can be seen as an escaping and coping method in encountering strains. This study underscores the presence of cyberbullying within high schools among expatriate students, exerting significant effects on their personal, social and emotional behaviors. The novel insights gleaned from this investigation contribute substantively to the comprehension of both the pervasiveness and repercussions of cyberbullying on the well-being of expatriate students. This contribution is particularly vital, given the dearth of research in the field, largely attributable to the growing dependence of students on the internet for various cyber activities. This study examines a partial assumption of GST (in non-Western country). Moreover, it uses an advanced statistical analysis and large sample.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 January 2024

Shirley Druker Shitrit, Smadar Ben-Asher and Ella Ben-Atar

At times, a traditional minority group that opposes a change in the patriarchal structure is violent toward women who wish to adopt modern lifestyles. This study aims to examine…

Abstract

Purpose

At times, a traditional minority group that opposes a change in the patriarchal structure is violent toward women who wish to adopt modern lifestyles. This study aims to examine online comments regarding a shooting at a café in an Arab-Bedouin city in Israel, where women were employed as servers. The event was framed in Israeli media as an act of backlash by young men, who call themselves “The Modesty Guard.”

Design/methodology/approach

In this qualitative study, the authors collected 916 online comments that were published on five main online news sites. A thematic and rhetorical analysis of online comments was conducted.

Findings

The findings uncovered five main themes: the expression of support for Bedouin women; ideas for dealing with the Modesty Guard; blaming Bedouin tradition for the shooting; comparison of the violent behavior to a parallel phenomenon among Charedim; and criticism of the lack of treatment by Israeli security forces. The responses reflected a supportive stance toward Arab-Bedouin women, who were open to progress. Conflict discourse, however, expressed alienation and increased social-national schism between the Jewish majority and Arab-Bedouin minority groups in Israel.

Originality/value

This study sheds light on the backlash phenomenon in Negev Bedouin society. Moreover, it exposes the lack of significant supportive actions and a lack of understanding of the deep processes unfolding in this traditional society.

Details

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-996X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 July 2023

Nicolle Montgomery, Snejina Michailova and Kenneth Husted

This study aims to adopt the microfoundation perspective to investigate undesirable knowledge rejection by individuals in organizations in the context of counterproductive…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to adopt the microfoundation perspective to investigate undesirable knowledge rejection by individuals in organizations in the context of counterproductive knowledge behavior (CKB). The paper advances a conceptual framework of the conditions of knowledge rejection by individuals and their respective knowledge rejection behavior types.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reviews the limited literature on knowledge rejection and outline a set of antecedents leading to rejecting knowledge as well as a set of different types of knowledge rejection behaviors. This study reviews and synthesizes articles on knowledge rejection from a microfoundation perspective.

Findings

The proposed conceptual framework specifies four particular conditions for knowledge rejection and outlines four respective knowledge rejection behavior types resulting from these conditions. Recipients’ lack of capacity leads to ineptitude, lack of motivation leads to dismissal of knowledge, lack of alignment with the source leads to disruption and doubts about the validity of external knowledge lead to resistance. The authors treat these behaviors as variants of CKB, as they can hinder the productive use of knowledge resources in the organization.

Research limitations/implications

Further investigation of both knowledge rejection causes and the resulting knowledge rejection behaviors will ensure a more thorough grasp of the relationships between them, both in terms of the inherent nature of these relationships and their dynamics that would likely be context-sensitive. Although this study focuses only on the individual level, future studies can conduct multi-level analyses of undesirable knowledge rejection, including team and organizational levels.

Practical implications

Practitioners can use the framework to identify, diagnose and manage knowledge rejection more meaningfully, accurately and purposefully in their organizations. This study offers valuable insights for managers facing undesirable knowledge rejection, and provides recommendations on how to address this behavior, improves the constructive use of knowledge resources and the effectiveness of knowledge processes in their organizations. Managers should be aware of undesirable knowledge rejection, its potential cost or concealed cost to their organizations and develop strategies to reduce or prevent it.

Originality/value

The paper contributes toward understanding the relatively neglected topic of knowledge rejection in the knowledge management field and offers a new way of conceptualizing the phenomenon. It proposes that there are two types of knowledge rejection – undesirable and desirable – and advances a more precise and up-to-date definition of undesirable knowledge rejection. Responding to calls for more research on CKBs, the study examines a hitherto unresearched behavior of knowledge rejection and provides a foundation for further study in this area.

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