Managing Counterproductive Knowledge Behavior: The Role of Task Relationships and Design

The study seeks to evaluate the moderating role of task interdependence on the relationship between FWAs and dimensions of knowledge hiding (evasive hiding, playing dumb, and knowledge hiding). Additionally, the study also evaluates the impact of FWAs on the dimensions of knowledge hiding. The study is descriptive in nature; the data was collected from the global workforce using LinkedIn social network platform. Convenience sampling technique to collect data from a large group of individuals simultaneously. A total of 513 questionnaires were distributed to different professionals based on their profiles on LinkedIn. Out of these, 303 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a response rate of 59%. Additionally, 45 questionnaires were rejected, leaving a total of 258 questionnaires that were deemed usable for the study. Evaluating the impact of FWAs on the dimensions of knowledge hiding revealed that FWAs had a significant influence on the dimensions of knowledge hiding. Moderating analysis results revealed that task interdependence did not moderate the relationship between flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and knowledge hiding dimensions. Despite the initial hypothesis proposing a positive moderating effect of task interdependence, the analysis did not support this relationship. The research study affirms that even in the presence of task interdependence, FWAs directly discouraged knowledge hiding behaviors, indicating that the benefits of FWAs on knowledge sharing may outweigh the influence of task interdependence in reducing knowledge hiding tendencies within organizations. Therefore, it is found imperative for organizations to foster FWAs in their workplace environment. Key Words: Flexible Work Arrangements, Evasive Hiding, Playing Dumb, Rationalized Hiding, Task Interdependence