Ethical leadership and knowledge hiding: an intervening and interactional analysis

Abstract

The work at hand examined the mediating role of meaningful work in the negative association between ethical leadership and service employees’ knowledge-hiding behavior. The role of harmonious work passion as a contingent factor of the direct association between ethical leadership and service employees’ knowledge-hiding behavior was also tested. Based on time-lagged (three waves, two months apart) survey data collected from 471 employees working in 52 service sector firms spanning different industries, the results showed a negative association between ethical leadership and service employees’ engagement in knowledge-hiding behaviors, both directly and indirectly, via meaningful work. It was also found that the direct association between ethical leadership and knowledge hiding was contingent on harmonious work passion. The findings suggest that managers can deter service employees’ engagement in knowledge-hiding behaviors and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage by demonstrating ethical behaviors and bolstering employees’ perceptions of meaningful work.