The hidden cost of cronyism! A nexus of knowledge hiding, moral disengagement and egoistic climate in higher educational institutions

Abstract

Purpose

Despite noted instances of organizational cronyism in public sector Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), there is a lack of empirical evidence on its detrimental outcomes. The present investigation tested the impact of organizational cronyism on knowledge hiding via the mediating role of moral disengagement and moderating role of egoistic climate.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-stage random sample was drawn from the 312 teaching faculty working in HEIs of Lahore, Pakistan in three waves. M-plus was used to validate a longitudinal moderated mediation model based on Structural Equation Modeling.

Findings

The results showed that organizational cronyism leads to knowledge hiding. In addition, it was substantiated that moral disengagement acts as a mediator in the relationship between organizational cronyism and knowledge hiding. The strengthening impact of an egoistic climate was found in the direct and indirect association between organizational cronyism, moral disengagement, and knowledge hiding.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of research on the consequences of organizational cronyism and the understanding of the factors that underlie this association is limited. This research has bridged this gap by investigating the role of moral disengagement and egoistic climate in linking organizational cronyism and knowledge-hiding by building on social exchange and social cognitive theory.