Knowledge hiding as a conditional response to job burnout: a conservation of resources perspective

Knowledge hiding is commonly discussed as a workplace behavior associated with reduced collaboration and unfavorable work outcomes. In digital content industries, however, employees often work under persistent resource pressure, which may shape how knowledge hiding is enacted and interpreted. Drawing on a conservation of resources perspective, this study examines the relationships among job burnout, knowledge hiding, and work engagement in Thailand’s digital content industry. Survey data were collected from 157 employees whose roles involve creating, using, and managing knowledge in their daily work. The proposed model was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that job burnout is positively associated with knowledge hiding and negatively associated with work engagement. Unexpectedly, knowledge hiding is positively associated with work engagement. This finding suggests that, under sustained work pressure, knowledge hiding does not necessarily signal disengagement from work. Instead, it may reflect a short-term behavioral adjustment in which individuals limit additional resource demands while remaining focused on their core tasks. By highlighting this conditional pattern, the study refines prevailing interpretations of knowledge hiding and offers empirical insights into how employees manage resource strain in knowledge-intensive and creative work contexts.