Knowledge Hiding in Organizations
Journal of Organizational Behavior, J. Organiz. Behav. 33, 64–88 (2012) Published online 5 January 2011 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/job.737
Knowledge hiding in organizations
CATHERINE E. CONNELLY1*, DAVID ZWEIG2, JANE WEBSTER3 AND JOHN P. TROUGAKOS2
1 2 3
DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Department of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Queen’s School of Business, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
Summary
Despite the efforts to enhance knowledge transfer in organizations, success has been elusive. It is becoming clear that in many instances employees are unwilling to share their knowledge even when organizational practices are designed to facilitate transfer. Consequently, this paper develops and investigates a novel construct, knowledge hiding. We establish that knowledge hiding exists, we distinguish knowledge hiding from related concepts (knowledge hoarding and knowledge sharing), and we develop a multidimensional measure of this construct. We also identify several predictors of knowledge hiding in organizations. The results of three studies, using different methods, suggest that knowledge hiding is comprised of three related factors: evasive hiding, rationalized hiding, and playing dumb. Each of these hiding behaviors is predicted by distrust, yet each also has a different set of interpersonal and organizational predictors. We draw implications for future research on knowledge management. Copyright # 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Keywords: knowledge management; knowledge hiding; distrust; knowledge sharing; knowledge hoarding
Learning ‘‘to withhold some versions of the truth is fundamental to the maintenance of the social order . . . On the other hand, organizations have put enormous emphasis on ‘openness,’ ‘information sharing,’ ‘knowledge management,’ and ‘telling it how it is’ as part of a process of improving performance’’ (Schein, 2004, p.
Knowledge hiding in organizations
CATHERINE E. CONNELLY1*, DAVID ZWEIG2, JANE WEBSTER3 AND JOHN P. TROUGAKOS2
1 2 3
DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Department of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Queen’s School of Business, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
Summary
Despite the efforts to enhance knowledge transfer in organizations, success has been elusive. It is becoming clear that in many instances employees are unwilling to share their knowledge even when organizational practices are designed to facilitate transfer. Consequently, this paper develops and investigates a novel construct, knowledge hiding. We establish that knowledge hiding exists, we distinguish knowledge hiding from related concepts (knowledge hoarding and knowledge sharing), and we develop a multidimensional measure of this construct. We also identify several predictors of knowledge hiding in organizations. The results of three studies, using different methods, suggest that knowledge hiding is comprised of three related factors: evasive hiding, rationalized hiding, and playing dumb. Each of these hiding behaviors is predicted by distrust, yet each also has a different set of interpersonal and organizational predictors. We draw implications for future research on knowledge management. Copyright # 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Keywords: knowledge management; knowledge hiding; distrust; knowledge sharing; knowledge hoarding
Learning ‘‘to withhold some versions of the truth is fundamental to the maintenance of the social order . . . On the other hand, organizations have put enormous emphasis on ‘openness,’ ‘information sharing,’ ‘knowledge management,’ and ‘telling it how it is’ as part of a process of improving performance’’ (Schein, 2004, p.
References: J. Organiz. Behav. 33, 64–88 (2012) DOI: 10.1002/job KNOWLEDGE HIDING IN ORGANIZATIONS J. Organiz. Behav. 33, 64–88 (2012) DOI: 10.1002/job 88 J. Organiz. Behav. 33, 64–88 (2012) DOI: 10.1002/job Copyright of Journal of Organizational Behavior is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc