How compulsory citizenship behavior influences employee knowledge hiding? A moderated chain mediation model

Purpose Few researchers have linked compulsory citizenship behavior (CCB) with knowledge hiding (KH). The understanding of their relationship is still limited, and their underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study aims to reveal the potential relationship between CCB and KH, and to identify the moderating effect of occupational stress as a boundary condition on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study constructed a chain-mediated effects model with moderating effects involving 387 employees of private companies in China’s sales and service industries and used the “Process Macro” method developed by Hayes to test the research hypotheses. Findings The findings indicate that CCB positively influences employees’ KH through multiple pathways; CCB exerts a positive and direct influence on employee KH; Emotional exhaustion and moral disengagement, respectively, play a partial mediating role and a chain mediating role in the effect of CCB on employee KH. In addition, this study also found that high effort/low reward occupational stress moderated the relationship between CCB and KH by emotional exhaustion. This study demonstrated that the influence of CCB on KH is not only short-term and direct, but also far-reaching and subtle. Originality/value This study contributes novel insights into the relationship between CCB and KH, revealing the complex psychological processes and changes in employees’ behaviors after experiencing CCBs, and enriches the organizational behavior and knowledge management literature. This study deepens understanding of the relationship between management behavior and employee behavior and provides a scientific basis for promoting the transformation of people-centered and knowledge-based organizations and optimizing organizational management.