Person related workplace bullying and knowledge hiding behaviors: relational psychological contract breach as an underlying mechanism

Nothing personal, it's the organization! Links between organizational culture, workplace bullying, and affective commitment

Extensive attention in organizational research has been dedicated to workplace bullying, primarily focusing on its frequency and impact on both the victim and the bully, emphasizing interpersonal dynamics. This study extends current research by shifting the focus to the organizational level, examining the relationship between organizational culture and affective commitment, mediated by workplace bullying. Utilizing data from two surveys (N = 650 in 2012 and N = 553 in 2017), the study reveals that dimensions of organizational culture, such as assertiveness, performance orientation, and ingroup collectivism significantly influence work-related workplace bullying. Performance orientation and assertiveness are positively associated with increased bullying, whereas ingroup collectivism serves as a deterrent. In turn, work-related bullying negatively impacts affective commitment, while a culture characterized by high ingroup collectivism not only links negatively with bullying but also links positively with affective commitment. This work is one of the first studies to investigate the interplay among several dimensions of organizational culture, workplace bullying, and affective commitment, underscoring the importance of supportive organizational cultures in fostering healthy work environments.

The relationship between negative workplace gossip and thriving at work among Chinese kindergarten teachers: the roles of psychological contract breach and bianzhi

Introduction

Exploring the influencing factors and functioning mechanisms of thriving at work is of practical significance both for teachers and kindergartens. Based on the socially embedded model of thriving at work, this study aimed to examine the association between negative workplace gossip and thriving at work. The mediating role of psychological contract breach and the moderating role of bianzhi were also examined.

Methods

A total of 1105 Chinese kindergarten teachers were chosen to complete a questionnaire on negative workplace gossip, psychological contract breach, and thriving at work.

Results

The results demonstrated that negative workplace gossip was positively associated with psychological contract breach and negatively associated with thriving at work. In addition, psychological contract breach was negatively associated with thriving at work. According to the mediation model test, psychological contract breach was a mediating factor between negative workplace gossip and thriving at work. The impact of psychological contract breach on thriving at work could be further moderated by bianzhi.

Conclusion

This study complements knowledge systems about the influential factors and functional mechanisms of thriving at work. In practical terms, this study offers a fresh and innovative perspective for kindergartens seeking to enhance teachers' thriving at work.

Workplace conflicts and knowledge hiding: Mediating role of relational psychological contract breach

This study explains workplace conflicts (interpersonal and task-related) as antecedents of knowledge-hiding behaviors. Moreover, a relational psychological contract breach is a mediator between workplace conflicts and knowledge-hiding behavior. For empirical evidence, data were collected from research and development institutions in Pakistan. The results confirm the significant association between conflicts and knowledge-hiding behaviors and the mediating role of relational psychological contract breach. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of workplace conflicts (interpersonal conflict and task-related conflict) on knowledge-hiding behaviors (evasive hiding, playing dumb, and rationalized hiding). Besides, a relational psychological contract breach is used as a mediator between workplace conflicts and knowledge-hiding behaviors. By using a simple random sampling technique and time lag strategy, the data were collected from 408 employees working in research and development institutions in Pakistan. For analyses, this study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling statistical technique by using SmartPls-3 software. The results of the study confirm the significant relationship between workplace conflicts and knowledge-hiding behaviors. Relational psychological contract breach also significantly mediates the relationship between conflicts and knowledge-hiding behaviors. However, this study found an insignificant association between interpersonal conflict and evasive knowledge hiding.

How workplace bullying affects knowledge hiding? The roles of psychological contract breach and learning goal orientation

Purpose

Workplace bullying is a serious problem among nurses, which results in negative workplace behavior. Therefore, this study aims to understand how workplace bullying affects employees’ knowledge hiding behavior. Specifically, this study explored psychological contract breach as an underlying mechanism between workplace bullying and knowledge hiding; and learning goal orientation as a boundary condition between psychological contract breach and knowledge hiding.

Design/methodology/approach

The study collected data from 343 nurses working in the health-care sector of Pakistan on convenience basis using a questionnaire-based survey between December 2021 to March 2022. The data were analyzed through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results revealed the adverse effect of workplace bullying on knowledge hiding behaviors among nurses, and psychological contract breach was noted to mediate this association. Further, learning goal orientation was noted to buffer the relationship between psychological contract breach and knowledge hiding.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-section design may restrict causality; however, the findings suggest health-care administration take appropriate measures to reduce the adverse effects of workplace bullying. In addition, the administration is suggested to implement training programs to make nurses capable of dealing with workplace stressors (bullying and psychological contract breach).

Originality/value

This research provides a novel perspective to consider psychological contract breach as a mechanism between workplace bullying and knowledge hiding in the health-care sector from the conservation of resources perspective. It further explored learning goal orientation as a buffer to mitigate the effect of psychological contract breach on knowledge hiding.

Exploring the Underlying Mechanism Between Perceived Injustice and Knowledge Hiding: An Empirical Investigation

Purpose

Drawing on the assumptions of social exchange and conversation of resource theories, this study aims to empirically explore the underlying mechanism between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding in the organizational context. To explicate the relationship, this study examines the catalytic roles of employees' self-serving behavior and perceived organizational politics.

Methods

A moderated-mediation model is developed and tested. Data collected from 234 individuals from both manufacturing and service sector firms.

Results

The findings of the study propose that self-serving behavior positively mediates the link between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding. Moreover, the result of two-way interaction between employees' self-serving behavior and perceived organizational politics further amplifies the indirect relationship between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding.

Conclusion

The findings of this study help to enrich the extant research on knowledge hiding by determining and evaluating the factors that hitherto unspecified and explicate the relationship between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding within the organizational contexts. Moreover, this also highlights the importance of employing both individual and contextual elements together while studying knowledge hiding within the organizations.

The influence mechanism of source experience of the knowledge on the knowledge transfer performance: The role of political skill and knowledge barriers

Exploring the relationship between characteristics of the source of knowledge and knowledge transfer performance seems to be crucial in order to make up for the lack of research on the political skills of knowledge sources in the process of knowledge transfer. For this reason, this study conducts a paired-sample questionnaire survey to achieve the research purpose. One direct supervisor was paired with 1∼4 subordinates; 274 other-reported questionnaires were sent out to supervisors and 1,096 self-reported questionnaires to subordinates. A total of 214 valid supervisor questionnaires and 630 valid subordinate questionnaires were collected. The finding demonstrates that knowledge sources with political skills can reduce knowledge barriers to knowledge transfer as well as affect knowledge transfer performance. This research presents a valid model that comprises the antecedents (characteristics of the knowledge source), mediators (knowledge barriers), moderators (political skill), and consequences of knowledge transfer performance of firms. Moreover, this study provides several meaningful directions for future research.