Self-interested Knowledge Sharing Behavior: Examination of Role Overload

Abstract

Encouraging knowledge sharing is crucial for organizational success; however, employees are reluctant to share knowledge because it decreases their strategic advantage. It is essential for us to understand the different ways in which employees share knowledge (i.e., self-interested knowledge sharing behavior). Drawing from the stressor-emotion model of Counterproductive Work Behavior, we examine the indirect effect of role overload on two self-interested knowledge-sharing behaviors (i.e., knowledge hiding and manipulation) via negative affect. In a time-separated field study (n= 161), our analysis reveals that role overload is positively related to negative affect. Also, negative affect was positively associated with both self-interested knowledge sharing behaviors (i.e., knowledge hiding and knowledge manipulation). Finally, our analysis found that negative affect fully mediates the relationship between role overload and (a) knowledge hiding and partially mediates the relationship between role overload and (c) knowledge manipulating.