Top-Down Knowledge Hiding in Organizations: An Empirical Study of the Consequences of Supervisor Knowledge Hiding Among Local and Foreign Workers in the Middle East

Ghulam Ali Arain (), Zeeshan Ahmed Bhatti (), Naeem Ashraf () and Yu-Hui Fang ()
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Ghulam Ali Arain: American University of Ras Al Khaimah
Zeeshan Ahmed Bhatti: King AbdulAziz University
Naeem Ashraf: Montpellier Business School
Yu-Hui Fang: Tamkang University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2020, vol. 164, issue 3, No 12, 625 pages

Abstract: Abstract This study adds to the growing research exploring the consequences of knowledge hiding in organizations. Drawing from the social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity, this paper examines the direct and indirect—via distrust in supervisor—relationships between supervisor knowledge hiding (SKH) and supervisee organizational citizenship behavior directed at the supervisor (OCB-S) in the context of the Middle East. Using a supervisor–supervisee dyadic design, two-source data were obtained from 317 employees (local and foreign) of 41 Saudi firms. The findings suggest that supervisees’ distrust in their supervisors mediates the significant and negative relationship between SKH and supervisees’ OCB-S. Furthermore, the significant and positive relationship between SKH and distrust in supervisor is more pronounced for foreign workers than for local workers. This study provides empirical support and a better understanding of the existence and consequences of SKH for local and foreign workers and also discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

Keywords: Knowledge hiding; Distrust in supervisor; Organizational citizenship behavior directed at the supervisor; The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Multigroup analysis; PLS-SEM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-018-4056-2

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