The Observer Attribution of Supervisor Knowledge Hiding: An Exploratory Analysis Based on Grounded Theory

Based on grounded theory, this paper discusses the classification of observer attribution of supervisor knowledge hiding and constructs a theoretical model of observer attribution of supervisor knowledge hiding. This study lasted for 3 months, during which 57 knowledge workers from various positions in industries such as technology, culture, and finance in the Yangtze River Delta region of China were interviewed through theoretical sampling. The interview data were analyzed using the three-level coding process of procedural grounded theory. It is found that, from the perspective of observer, supervisor knowledge hiding is the interaction result of four factors: supervisor kind guidance, supervisor selfishness, supervisor moral disengagement, and supervisor situational response. Among them, positive attribution of supervisor kind guidance and negative attribution of supervisor selfishness, supervisor moral disengagement constitute the internal environment of the supervisor. Supervisor situational response is the external environment of the organization. They form the logic of positive attribution: internal and external environments, and the logic of negative attribution: internal and external environments, revealing the mechanism of observer attribution of supervisor knowledge hiding. The research findings expand the study of the formation mechanism of supervisor knowledge hiding and provide important guidance for knowledge management practice.