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Ethical Leadership and Knowledge Hiding: A Moderated Mediation Model of Psychological Safety and Mastery Climate

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Abstract

According to social learning theory, we explored the relation between ethical leadership and knowledge hiding. We developed a moderated mediation model of the psychological safety linking ethical leadership and knowledge hiding. Surveying 436 employees in 78 teams, we found that ethical leadership was negatively related to knowledge hiding, and that this relation was mediated by psychological safety. We further found that the effect of ethical leadership on knowledge hiding was contingent on a mastery climate. Finally, theoretical and practical implications were discussed for leadership and knowledge management.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 71772138, 71472137, 71701004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan, People’s Republic of China

    Chenghao Men

  2. Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Chenghao Men & Patrick S. W. Fong

  3. SHU-UTS SILC Business School, Shanghai University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    Weiwei Huo

  4. School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, No. 1239, Siping Road, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Zhong, Ruiqian Jia & Jinlian Luo

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  1. Chenghao Men
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  2. Patrick S. W. Fong
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Correspondence to Jinlian Luo.

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Men, C., Fong, P.S.W., Huo, W. et al. Ethical Leadership and Knowledge Hiding: A Moderated Mediation Model of Psychological Safety and Mastery Climate. J Bus Ethics 166, 461–472 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-4027-7

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