Humble Leadership and Knowledge Hiding: Mediating role of Psychological Empowerment

Knowledge is vital for competitive advantage. Similarly, leadership style cannot be avoided in organizational success. Based on social exchange theory, this study explored the impact of humble leadership on knowledge hiding. Further, the mediating effect of psychological empowerment was also explored. Following the purposive sampling technique, 418 employees participated in the study. Primary data was collected in two waves to avoid common method variance. Structural equation modeling was used for the analysis. This study noted that humble leadership negatively influences knowledge-hiding behavior. In addition, psychological empowerment was noted to mediate the proposed relationship. This study advises that humble leadership, through psychological empowerment, mitigates knowledge-hiding behavior. Furthermore, it is recommended that managers create a favorable environment and empower employees to achieve the desired organizational goals. This study enriches the understanding of humble leadership by validating a theoretical model demonstrating its value and identifying the impact of psychological empowerment on knowledge-hiding behavior.