Exploring antecedents of knowledge hiding and sharing among knowledge workers through a serious game

Purpose This study aims to examine how three contextual factors – reciprocity history with the knowledge seeker, communication media richness and the type of requested knowledge – influence knowledge workers’ responses in terms of knowledge hiding (playing dumb and evasive hiding) and knowledge sharing (partial or full sharing). Design/methodology/approach This study uses a quasi-experimental design, using a serious game with a simulated realistic scenario to collect data. A total of 199 knowledge workers from a German automotive company participated in the game, providing valuable insights into their responses to knowledge requests. Findings The results show that knowledge workers vary their knowledge hiding and sharing behaviours depending on reciprocity history with colleagues, the type of knowledge requested and the communication medium used. These findings suggest that a straightforward classification of knowledge hiding and sharing fails to capture the complex and nuanced ways employees manage knowledge requests in organisational settings. Originality/value This paper broadens the scope of knowledge hiding research by examining both knowledge hiding and knowledge sharing behaviours within a single framework and empirically testing the relationships between key antecedents and these behaviours. In addition, the use of a quasi-experimental design, based on a serious game for data collection, offers a novel methodological approach. This method reduces social desirability bias by capturing more authentic knowledge hiding and sharing behaviours compared to traditional approaches, providing a foundation for future research in knowledge management, particularly in the study of socially undesirable behaviours.