Knowledge-withholding behaviours among IT specialists: the roles of job insecurity, work overload and supervisor support

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore factors that have an impact on information technology (IT) specialists' concealment of knowledge from their supervisors. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 118 IT specialists from a large Polish software company. The data analyses were conducted using partial least-squares path modelling. The results revealed that perceived work overload (PWO) is positively related to perceived job insecurity (PJI), and that PJI is positively related to vertical knowledge withholding (VKW). Contrary to expectations, no significant relation was found between PWO and VKW. Moreover, there is a negative relationship between supervisor support (SS) and VKW. This study introduces the concept of VKW and places it in the context of the relationship between subordinates and superiors. Managers can use the results to limit knowledge withholding among IT specialists. To confirm achieved results, future research can use larger samples and be conducted in different sectors.