Do employees with high human capital hide knowledge? Exploring mediation and moderation mechanisms

Purpose

Knowledge hiding in organizations is perceived as counterproductive knowledge behavior that is negatively related to employees creativity and job performance, but positively affect workplace deviance and turnover intention. The extent to which knowledge hiding develops is largely determined by personal characteristics and the work environment. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between individual intellectual capital and knowledge hiding. This study aims to investigate the underlying mediation and moderation mechanisms of the relationship between individual human capital and knowledge hiding. The study explores the mediating role of pressure of helping others and negative emotions, and the moderating role of perceived organizational politics.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected in two waves, in January and February 2024, from 424 Polish employees with high intellectual capital. Partial least squares path modeling was used to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

Individual human capital is positively related to the pressure of helping others and negatively related to negative emotions. Pressure of helping others mediates the relationship between individual human capital and knowledge hiding. Contrary to expectations, negative emotions do not mediate the relationship between the pressure of helping others and knowledge hiding. The interaction of individual human capital and perceived organizational politics is positively related to knowledge hiding.

Practical implications

To decrease knowledge hiding, managers should promote meritocracy in the organization and reduce employees’ behaviors that are selfish and based on political games. Employees with high human capital should be provided with support to relieve the pressure of helping others and the negative emotions which are associated with the pressure of helping others.

Originality/value

Based on psychological ownership and reactance theories, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to explore the relationships between individual human capital and knowledge hiding.