Loaded with knowledge, yet green with envy: leader–member exchange comparison and coworkers-directed knowledge hiding behavior

Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>This study aims to explore an interpersonal predictor of coworkers-directed knowledge hiding behavior – the leader–member exchange social comparison (LMXSC). This study integrates leader–member exchange literature with social comparison theory to hypothesize that an individual’s upward LMXSC is positively correlated with coworkers-directed knowledge hiding and that an individual’s feelings of envy are mediated by the relationship between upward LMXSC and coworkers-directed knowledge hiding behavior. Also, this study proposes two-way and three-way interaction patterns of goal interdependence, which can influence LMXSC–envy relationships.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>Two independent studies are conducted to test the hypothesized relationships. In Study 1, the authors collected multi-wave data from a large public sector university in China (N = 1,131). The authors then replicated the Study 1 findings by collecting multi-source and multi-wave data from a telecom company based in China (n = 379).</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>The authors found support across both studies for the idea that upward LMXSC is a possible interpersonal predictor of coworkers-directed knowledge hiding behavior. More specifically, it was found that feelings of envy ensue from upward LMXSC, resulting in further coworkers-directed knowledge hiding behavior. Further, this study shows that the influence of upward LMXSC on knowledge hiding behavior via feelings of envy was weaker (stronger) when employees have high (low) cooperative goal interdependence with coworkers, respectively, and when employees have low (high) competitive goal interdependence with the coworkers, respectively.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>This study extends current knowledge management literature by introducing LMXSC as an interpersonal predictor of coworkers-directed knowledge hiding behavior. This will help practitioners to curb such counterproductive behavior.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

Knowledge Hiding: Current Research Status and Future Research Directions

“…Fong et al (2018) show that task interdependence moderates the relationship between knowledge hiding and team absorptive capacity. Weng et al (2020) suggest that the interdependence of cooperative and competitive goals has opposite moderating effects on the relationship between upward LMX social comparison and knowledge hiding. In addition, also analyze the influence of work autonomy on the intensity of the relationship between neuroticism and knowledge hiding.…”

“…demonstrate that organizational identification mediates the negative impact of LMX on evasive hiding and playing dumb. Weng et al (2020) point out that employees' upward LMX social comparison with their colleagues leads to envy of and knowledge hiding toward their colleagues. He et al (2020) discover that psychological safety fully mediates the influence of LMX on knowledge hiding and partially mediates the influence of supervisor-subordinate guanxi on knowledge hiding.…”

“…However, this reciprocal social exchange is more likely to reduce the level of knowledge hiding within the team, especially when the relationship between individuals and their supervisors has social LMX characteristics (Cerne et al, 2014). Furthermore, upward LMX social comparison leads to envy among team members, so it is a potential interpersonal antecedent of knowledge hiding among colleagues (Weng et al, 2020). It is worth noting that team prosocial motivation and social LMX (but not economic LMX) have an interaction effect on knowledge hiding (Babič et al, 2019).…”

The moderating role of self‐efficacy in the relationship between workplace envy and social undermining

“…The instrument included workplace envy, self‐efficacy, and social undermining. Workplace envy was assessed utilizing a 5‐item scale (Vecchio, 2000, 2005) that has been successfully deployed in previous studies (Erdil & Müceldili, 2014; Ghadi, 2018; González‐Navarro et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2010; Thompson et al., 2016; Weng et al., 2020). This scale has also proved to have good psychometric properties in previous studies (Cohen‐Charash, 2009; Thompson et al., 2015).…”

Cost of Serving Others: A Moderated Mediation Model of OCB, Ego Depletion, and Service Sabotage

“…Moreover, we followed the recent studies (e.g., Hongbo et al, 2020;Latif et al, 2020;Weng et al, 2020) and calculated a corrected (unbiased) F statistic for each of our analyses (Kenny, 1995) as this is a more conservative test. Results indicated that all of our corrected F statistics remained significant and decreased by no more than 0.10.…”