The effect of intra-organizational knowledge hiding on employee turnover intentions: the mediating role of organizational embeddedness: a case study of knowledge workers of IRIB

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between intra-organizational knowledge hiding (I-OKH) and turnover intention via the mediating role of organizational embeddedness. Design/methodology/approach A model was developed and tested with data collected from 276 knowledge workers from the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) using Smart PLS3 to test the hypotheses. Findings Results show that organizational embeddedness mediates the relationship between intra-organizational knowledge hiding and turnover intention because intra-organizational knowledge hiding relates negatively to organizational embeddedness, which, in turn, has a negative effect on turnover intentions. Practical implications This study can be beneficial for organizations that employ knowledge workers. The management should pay attention to the existence and consequences of intra-organizational knowledge hiding to control one of the causing factors of weakened organizational embeddedness, which, in turn, increases employee turnover intentions. Originality/value This study is the first attempt to analyze knowledge hiding from a third-person point of view. Moreover, this is the first to examine the mediating role of organizational embeddedness in the relationship between intra-organizational knowledge hiding and employee turnover intentions, enriched by employing the data from the knowledge workers beyond the Anglo-American-European world.