Knowledge hiding as an obstacle of innovation in organizations a qualitative study of software industry

Abstract

Transmission and popularization of knowledge among personnel leads to a functional synergy in theinnovation processes of organizations. It has been found that most research on organizations are relatedto knowledge sharing, while the knowledge hiding has seldom been investigated. Firms that operatein a software industry are among the knowledge-based organizations in which employees are requiredto possess specialized knowledge and skills to perform their tasks. The dissemination of knowledgeand information can help organizations to be innovative and to improve their competitive advantage.Current study shows that information does not flow through the employees of sample organizations, andemployees prefer to hide their organizational knowledge from their colleagues in order to maintain theirown portfolios. Using thematic analysis, and interviews as data collection method, some thematic issueswere extracted. These themes include, behavioral characteristics, complexity of knowledge, Powerof requesting person, organizational incentives for knowledge sharing, Lack of clear responsibility forknowledge sharing, Sense of internal competition, level of trust to colleagues, effect of ubiquitous media,learning ability of the knowledge demandant, Level of personal contacts with colleagues, Deceivingcolleagues, Violence, Negative feedback from organizational environment.