Knowledge is a critical strategic asset for organizations striving to establish competitive advantages and achieve sustainable growth. Employees serving as knowledge owners and knowledge disseminators are not always inclined to share their knowledge within the organizational framework. Instead,they may withhold or conceal knowledge due to personal interests and competitive pressures in the workplace. Knowledge hiding is a common phenomenon in organizations. Existing literature regards knowledge hiding as the opposite of knowledge sharing and argues for a negative relationship between knowledge hiding and performance. However,knowledge hiding also has potential positive effect on organizations. Therefore,more empirical evidence is warranted to resolve the ongoing debate over the impact of knowledge hiding on individual performance and team performance.
The existing literature primarily focuses on employees' personal factors and divides knowledge hiding into evasive hiding,rationalized hiding,and feigned ignorance,overlooking the role of leaders and the influence of organizational contexts. There is a growing emphasis on conceptual distinctions among different types of knowledge hiding,but research on the consequences of knowledge hiding tends to treat them collectively,lacking a thorough examination and discussion of the distinct impacts of various types of knowledge hiding on individual performance and team performance.
In view of this,this study investigates the impacts of various types of knowledge hiding on performance from both individual and team perspectives,grounded in leader-member exchange theory. Firstly,from two dimensions—the extent of leader's support and the leader's comprehension of employee knowledge—knowledge hiding is divided into four types: complicit hiding,collusive hiding,hiding in plain sight,and evasive hiding. Secondly,the study collected 373 valid responses through a questionnaire survey conducted among leaders and employees of multiple teams in different organizations. The hypotheses are verified by constructing a multiple linear regression model. The empirical results indicate that complicit knowledge hiding promotes both individual performance and team performance. Collusive knowledge hiding has an inverted U-shaped effect on individual performance and team performance. Knowledge hiding in plain sight has an inverted U-shaped relationship with individual performance but is positively related to team performance. Evasive knowledge hiding is negatively related to individual performance but has no significant effect on team performance. Different from previous literature,this research innovatively introduces the dimensions of knowledge hiding classification,and reveals the complex impact of different types of knowledge hiding on performance from both individual and team perspectives,providing a new exploration perspective to solve the problem of inconsistent effects of knowledge hiding in existing researches,and enriching literature on the relationship between knowledge hiding and performance.
Considering the substantial disparities in the impact of various types of knowledge hiding on individual and team performance,it is imperative for enterprises to enhance the comprehension of knowledge hiding among both leaders and employees. A thorough understanding of the distinct types of knowledge hiding and their varying effects on performance is crucial. Knowledge hiding,often seen as a natural and rational behavior adopted by individuals and organizations to protect their own interests under the assumption of rationality,should be acknowledged by leaders and employees. Through training and other initiatives,their mindset should be shifted to confront the reality of knowledge hiding behavior,accurately identify its different forms,and respond appropriately to improve performance. Moreover,enterprises should fully appreciate the pivotal role of leaders in addressing knowledge hiding behavior. Leaders should be encouraged to employ a diverse range of strategies to tackle different types of knowledge hiding,transform the nature of such behavior,and thereby enhance performance. Close attention should be paid to the interactions between leaders and employees. By integrating institutional management with humanistic care,establishing a rational team culture and a trusting work environment,and fostering positive interactions and interpersonal trust,the detrimental effects of knowledge hiding on team performance can be mitigated. For instance,companies can dismantle hierarchical barriers,boost employees' sense of belonging,and strengthen the trust between leaders and employees through regular team-building activities and open communication channels. This approach can help transform evasive hiding into collusion hiding,ultimately leading to improved individual and team performance.