Predictors of knowledge hiding and organisational success: empirical evidence from Nigeria

Although there are several studies on knowledge hiding (KH) and organisational processes, there is dearth of empirical literature on KH and organisational outcomes. Using the theories of the quest for psychological ownership of knowledge (QPOK), reactance, displaced aggression and social exchange, this study investigated the predictors of KH and their implications for organisational success (OS). The specific objectives were to determine the extent to which QPOK, abusive supervision (ABS), organisational injustice (OINJ), workplace incivility (WPINCV), workplace exclusion (WPE) and unethical leadership (UNEL), influence KH and the influence of KH on OS. The design of the study was a cross-sectional survey of 296 online respondents selected through systematic sampling from multinational and national telecommunications service providers in Nigeria. Structural equation model served as the inferential statistics. The results showed that QPOK, OINJ, WPINCV, WPE are significant predictors of KH. Using these constructs as the measures of KH and using structural equation modelling technique, the QPOK, OINJ and WPE are significant predictors of os, thus indicating that KH has significant influence on organisational success. This study departs from previous studies by showing that QPOK has a positive relationship with KH and OS.