Impact of knowledge hiding on employees’ shame and well-being: the moderating role of employees’ narcissistic personality

Purpose – Shame is one of the most powerful emotions employees experience in the workplace. However, limited research in the management literature explains how knowledge hiding contributes to feelings of shame among employees and how this, in turn, affects their well-being. This study aims to examine how employees’ narcissistic personality traits moderate the relationships between knowledge hiding and shame and between shame and employees’ well-being (emotional exhaustion). Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on trait activation theory and self-regulation theory, the authors developed and tested a conceptual model using survey data from 313 employees in Saudi Arabia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was conducted using WarpPLS 7.0 to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – Results reveal a positive association between employee knowledge hiding and feelings of shame and a negative association between knowledge hiding and employees’ emotional exhaustion. Shame mediates the relationship between knowledge hiding and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, employees’ narcissistic traits moderate the relationships between knowledge hiding and shame, as well as between shame and emotional exhaustion. Originality/value – This study offers a novel perspective by highlighting the role of shame in the context of employees’ intentional or evasive knowledge hiding and its influence on well-being. It further demonstrates how narcissistic personality traits (admiration versus rivalry) shape the dynamics between knowledge hiding, shame and emotional exhaustion. The research, practical and social implications of these findings are discussed in detail.