Examining Workplace Incivility as an Antecedent of Knowledge Hiding Behavior

This study aims to examine the influence of workplace incivility on knowledge-hiding behavior. The study also examines the moderating role of an individual’s need for achievement between the two constructs. The data was collected from 331 individuals through convenience sampling from the public sector in the unstable economy of Fiji. The proposed model was tested through structural equation modeling. While the average variance extracted and composite reliability exceeded the recommended threshold of 0.5 and 0.7, the Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.88 to 0.91. Thus, the measurement constructs were found to be suitable and sound for the research. The findings of the study show a significant positive relationship between workplace incivility and knowledge-hiding behavior accepted. Furthermore, the individual’s need for achievement significantly moderates the relationship between workplace incivility and knowledge-hiding behavior. While the extant literature implicitly regards workplace incivility as a negative phenomenon with a great tendency for knowledge-hiding behavior, this research shows that the deleterious effect of workplace incivility on knowledge-hiding can be moderated through an individual’s need for achievement. The findings further suggest that individuals with a need for achievement have a greater propensity to change the negative phenomenon into a positive challenge. This will be our major contribution to the extant literature. It is also proposed that the organization invest more in emotional management training, leadership training, empowering workers, and creating awareness of the importance of civil behavior at work. Finally, the implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.