The role of nature of knowledge and knowledge creating processes in knowledge hiding: Reframing knowledge hiding

Knowledge hiding research has traditionally focused on the ways in which knowledge is hidden in the context of interactions between employees. This study advances knowledge hiding research by highlighting the benefits of moving away from the dyadic level of analysis to a multilevel analysis across individuals, groups, and organizations. We also elaborate how knowledge hiding is influenced both by the nature of knowledge and by the modes of knowledge creation in organizations. We propose a theoretical framework that juxtaposes the nature of knowledge - tacit vs. explicit and component vs. architectural - against the four modes - socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization - of the knowledge creating process in organizations. The framework developed in our study also enables us to identify four distinct root causes of knowledge hiding in organizations - functional bias, misaligned incentives, dysfunctional resource allocations, and value incongruence.