Exploring the Underlying Mechanism Between Perceived Injustice and Knowledge Hiding: An Empirical Investigation

PURPOSE: Drawing on the assumptions of social exchange and conversation of resource theories, this study aims to empirically explore the underlying mechanism between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding in the organizational context. To explicate the relationship, this study examines the catalytic roles of employees’ self-serving behavior and perceived organizational politics. METHODS: A moderated-mediation model is developed and tested. Data collected from 234 individuals from both manufacturing and service sector firms. RESULTS: The findings of the study propose that self-serving behavior positively mediates the link between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding. Moreover, the result of two-way interaction between employees’ self-serving behavior and perceived organizational politics further amplifies the indirect relationship between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study help to enrich the extant research on knowledge hiding by determining and evaluating the factors that hitherto unspecified and explicate the relationship between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding within the organizational contexts. Moreover, this also highlights the importance of employing both individual and contextual elements together while studying knowledge hiding within the organizations.