Don’t play the odds, play the man

Abstract

Purpose The nature of knowledge and the way it is assimilated do play a vital role in influencing knowledge sharing tendencies. These specific factors coupled with the ineffectiveness of the intrinsic knowledge management system point towards an inherent knowledge hiding tendency that exists within every organization. Knowledge hiding is established as an intentional attempt to hide knowledge when it is requested. In the recent past, scholars have investigated the factors causing hiding of the task-related knowledge. However, there is still no clear understanding of the strategic factors that lead to knowledge hiding in organizations and which of these factors are the most critical ones. The purpose of this paper is to identify the most critical strategic factors that cause knowledge hiding in different contexts. Design/methodology/approach This research study tries to identify these factors from the literature, corroborate it with industry experts and model the same with the aid of total interpretive structural modelling. This is followed by Matrice d'Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliquée a un Classement and sensitivity analysis, which determines the unique driving factors and their powers, which vary based on industry sectors and years of work experience. Findings This study found out that knowledge hiding behaviour is more pronounced in the initial years of an individual within the organization and similarly in the final years of an individual within the organization. In a period in between both these, there are no critical driving factors that infuse knowledge hiding. Originality/value This is one of the first comprehensive research studies that unravel the dynamic nature of the strategic factors engendering knowledge hiding across two different dimensions, namely, industry sectors and work-experience of individuals. This study categorically aims to aid the management in bringing out necessary interventions to curb the menace of knowledge hiding.

Understanding knowledge sharing through the working practices

“…Our study is part of the literature on active knowledge management behaviours such as knowledge creation and knowledge sharing, future research could incorporate knowledge hiding behaviours (Yao et al, 2020;Issac et al, 2020) amongst health-care professionals within health organizations.…”

Why and When Do Employees Hide Their Knowledge?

“…Further, the strong positive association between DIS and KH is due to the employees’ tenure. In the early years of a worker’s employment with an organization, difficulties arise as she/he is confronted by the expectations of the organization and of her/his superiors and subordinates, if any [ 19 ]. In these instances, a lack of trust may contribute to knowledge concealment tendencies.…”

“…The employees’ tendency to engage in KH is subject to the characteristics of the task [ 19 ]. One of the task characteristics that may hinder employees from hiding their knowledge is task relatedness (TR).…”

“…Therefore, according to Arain , et al [ 18 ], it is essential to examine the characteristics of the knowledge itself that can drive employees to hide their knowledge. Furthermore, Issac , et al [ 19 ] asserted that employees conceal detailed knowledge because addressing the request for knowledge demands a significant amount of time and effort, hindering employees’ and coworkers’ ability to attain their personal goals. Although numerous studies have been attempted to determine the causes of knowledge concealment, Agarwal , et al [ 20 ] highlighted issues about how these determinants exert their consequences and whether their intensities change across circumstances.…”

Elongating Nexus Between Workplace Factors and Knowledge Hiding Behavior: Mediating Role of Job Anxiety

“…When a person experiences workplace ostracism, unproductive work behavior ensues. 23 Having this problem leads to less productive behavior, physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion psychological and physical harm resulting from workplace ostracism, which affects job anxiety and innovative behavior at work. An organization or firm’s efficiency decreases because of poorly motivated employees who cope with workplace ostracism.…”