Peers’ unethical behavior and knowledge hiding: perceived cost of knowledge sharing as a mediator

Knowledge hiding in organizations is a significant concern for academics and practitioners due to its negative effect on organizational performance. Leveraging Knowledge Dynamics theory, we examine how peers’ unethical behavior influences employees’ propensity to hide knowledge and investigate the role of perceived cost of knowledge sharing and responsible leadership in this relationship. To test these proposed relationships, we collected data from IT sector employees in India through a three-wave survey. The results of data analysis show that peers’ unethical behavior has a positive influence on KH, and the perceived cost of knowledge sharing works as a mediating mechanism linking peers’ unethical behavior and knowledge hiding. The results suggest that the moderating effect of responsible leadership was not significant. The present study advances knowledge hiding literature by emphasizing the role of peer influence in knowledge hiding. Managerial implications are discussed by suggesting the need for stronger ethical norms to reduce knowledge hiding in organizations.