Introduction:
Despite growing recognition of knowledge as a critical resource, knowledge hiding has become a significant barrier to effective knowledge flow. While existing research has predominantly focused on the antecedents of knowledge hiding, investigation into its consequences—particularly through an interpersonal lens—remains limited.
Purpose:
Drawing on social interdependence theory, this study examines whether and how perceived coworker knowledge hiding triggers social undermining behavior, with a focus on the mediating role of workplace rivalry and the moderating role of psychological entitlement.
Method:
Using a multi-method approach, we tested our hypotheses through two studies. Study 1 employed a three-wave survey with 335 employees from a management consulting firm, measuring key constructs using established scales. Study 2 complemented this with a scenario-based experiment involving 318 employees to establish causal inference.
Results:
Results revealed that: (1) perceived knowledge hiding positively predicts social undermining; (2) workplace rivalry mediates this relationship; and (3) psychological entitlement strengthens both the direct effect of knowledge hiding on workplace rivalry and the indirect effect on social undermining.
Conclusions:
These findings contribute to the knowledge hiding literature by restoring its essential nature as an interpersonal dynamic and identifying rivalry as a key mechanism. Practically, organizations should mitigate knowledge hiding by fostering collaborative climates and managing employees' sense of entitlement to preserve knowledge resources and reduce counterproductive interpersonal behaviors.