Emotional Intelligence and Knowledge Hiding: Role of Workplace Dynamics and Psychological Ownership

Maryam S Hashmi

While knowledge sharing has been largely explored in the extant organisational behaviour literature, knowledge hiding has received little attention. The research examines how and why people indulge in or refrain from knowledge hiding at workplaces. This study undertakes an extensive systematic literature review of literature across 10 years from 2012 to 2022 and identifies several theoretical gaps. Although the literature recently started exploring knowledge hiding to quite an extent, however research focusing on reducing this phenomenon at individual and interpersonal level is still scarce. Based on affective events, organisational support, and psychological ownership theories, this research addresses key theoretical gaps by focusing on the role of individual and interpersonal antecedents of knowledge hiding. By presenting a comprehensive research framework, this research specifically proposes that emotional intelligence, workplace dynamics (included trust in coworkers, coworker interpersonal justice and psychological sense of community at work) and psychological ownership (organisation and knowledge-based psychological ownership) are key antecedents of knowledge hiding in the workplace. The study examines the theoretical model against data collected from knowledge intensive industries of Pakistan i.e., IT sector and universities through an online survey questionnaire, that included quantitative questions and open-ended question, using the ‘Qualtrics’ survey platform. Quantitative data was analyzed using AMOS and SPSS using structural equation modeling. Several procedural techniques were used to address common method bias. Whereas qualitative data was analyzed using the ‘Framework Method’ which involves systematically categorising data into themes or codes for identification of patterns and relationships from the qualitative data (Ritchie et al., 2003). The results partially support the proposed model. Emotional intelligence encourages positive perceptions of workplace dynamics i.e., enhances trust in coworkers, boosts coworker interpersonal justice and promotes psychological sense of community at work. Positive workplace dynamics (coworker interpersonal justice and psychological sense of community at work) develop organisational-based psychological ownership, which in turn reduces knowledge hiding in the workplace. The relationship between emotional intelligence and knowledge hiding is sequentially mediated first through coworker interpersonal justice and psychological sense of community at work and then through organisational-based psychological ownership. Moreover, the relationship between emotional intelligence and knowledge hiding is sequentially mediated first through psychological sense of community at work and then through knowledge-based psychological ownership. Multigroup analysis reveals that the sector (i.e. IT and university) is a key moderator on the relationships among variables in the proposed research model. Moreover, the results of qualitative data validate the quantitative data results and identify additional determinants of knowledge hiding (e.g., workplace jealousy and open communication). The study has several theoretical and managerial implications. For theory, this research highlights the importance of emotional intelligence and the mediating mechanisms through which these helps address knowledge hiding in the workplace. For managers and policy makers, this research presents profound implications for strategies and human resource practices based on the findings of the study that can help to reduce knowledge hiding in organisations.

Emotional Intelligence and Knowledge Hiding: Role of Workplace Dynamics and Psychological Ownership

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