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| Differentiated Empowering Leadership and Knowledge Employees' Knowledge Hiding: A Study Based on Multi-level Analysis |
| Guo Yuanyuan,Wu Liang,Chen Yilang,Qin Wu |
| (College of Management,Zhejiang University of Technology,Hangzhou 310023,China) |
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Abstract In the current knowledge economy,knowledge hiding among knowledge employees has become a significant stumbling block. Such negative behaviors not only damage interpersonal relationships,but also greatly hinder employee creativity and organizational performance. Therefore,it has become the focus of both theoretical and practical circles to explore ways to curb knowledge hiding .#br#Leaders play a crucial role in shaping subordinates' work attitudes,motivation and performance,and the impact of leadership styles on employee knowledge hiding has been extensively explored in previous literature. As the organizational environment becomes more dynamic and knowledge-based employees become more autonomous,empowered leadership that focuses on sharing power and encouraging employees to self-manage is increasingly favored by managers. Some scholars have incorporated it into the research framework of knowledge hiding and found that leadership empowerment behaviors increase subordinates' satisfaction and stimulate their intrinsic motivation,which in turn increases their willingness to help other members. However,leadership empowerment is not homogeneous; in the context of Chinese society which is deeply rooted in human relationships,leaders often develop differentiated empowerment based on their different relationships with members. Differentiated empowering leadership has been found to produce significant effects on team innovation performance,equity climate,and employee creativity and performance,but little research attention has been paid to the effects on employee knowledge hiding behavior. #br#This paper examines the relationship between differentiated empowering leadership and knowledge hiding among knowledgeable employees. It explores the paths of action between the two at the team and individual levels respectively from a cross-level analytical perspective. First,at the team level,since employees tend to judge their own strengths and weaknesses and organizational fairness by comparing themselves with their peers,differential empowerment leadership will cause jealousy and conflicts among employees,thus weakening team trust and undermining the foundation for members' willingness to help each other. Therefore,following the social comparison theory,the paper argues that team trust plays a mediating role between differentially empowered leaders and knowledge hiding of knowledge-based employees. Second,at the individual level,employees face distinct challenges when encountering leaders with empowerment preferences. On one hand,employees who are more empowered must tackle numerous and complex work tasks,leading to an increased sense of role stress. On the other hand,employees who are less empowered are more likely to be overlooked by their leaders,resulting in a corresponding decline in work resources,a rise in job uncertainty,and consequently,an increased role load. In these situations,employees tend to overexert their emotional resources to cope with the role load,which would weaken their willingness to help others. Thus,at the individual level,the paper examines the serial mediating role of role load and emotional exhaustion in this relationship based on the role theory.#br#The questionnaires are distributed to 15 knowledge-intensive companies in Jiangsu,Zhejiang and Shanghai,involving various industries such as technology,medicine and finance. A total of 358 valid questionnaires are collected from 67 teams of employees after a two-stage survey. A multilevel regression model is constructed to test the results,and the findings are in line with the ideas above. The study reveals that leaders should thoroughly consider the issue of empowerment differences among employees when delegating authority to subordinates and avoid granting excessive authority to individual employees so as to reduce jealousy and suspicion among other team members. Simultaneously,leaders should communicate with employees in a timely manner before delegating authority to alleviate psychological pressure,enabling them to have greater confidence in accepting more challenging tasks. Additionally,for employees who are given less authority,leaders should provide necessary care and assistance to reduce the constraints imposed by their limited workplace resources.#br#In conclusion,this paper contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of how differentiated empowering leadership affects knowledge hiding behavior among knowledgeable employees. By identifying the mediating roles of team trust,role load and emotional exhaustion,it offers valuable insights into how leaders can mitigate the negative effects of differential empowerment on employee knowledge hiding.The findings provide implications for organizations to foster a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration,and for leaders seeking to effectively balance the distribution of authority among subordinates to maximize team performance.#br#
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Received: 09 August 2022
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