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Knowledge Sharing, Hypercompetitiveness, and Contextual Factors: Investigating a Three-Way Effect

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Abstract

Recognizing the significance of employees’ hypercompetitiveness and knowledge sharing in today’s challenging global economy, this study addressed when hypercompetitive employees least share their knowledge. On the basis of trait activation theory, this research identified social and task-related situational factors that moderate the impact of hypercompetitiveness on knowledge sharing—organizational politics and job control. Our results from a sample of 191 supervisor-subordinate dyads from South Korea indicated that the negative relationship between hypercompetitiveness and knowledge sharing becomes strongest under uncertain work situations characterized by high organizational politics and low job control. The implications and limitations of this research are discussed.

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Notes

  1. We collected additional data and conducted confirmatory factor analysis to test whether hypercompetitiveness is distinguishable from two dark-side traits, Narcissism and Machiavellianism. We found that a three-factor model showed good fit statistics and was significantly superior to other models, χ2(74) = 109.66, CFI = .96, SRMR = .05, RMSEA = .06.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Institute of Industrial Relations at Seoul National University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mays Business School, Texas A&M University, 4221 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4221, USA

    Seoin Yoon

  2. College of Business Administration, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea

    Seckyoung Loretta Kim

  3. Republic of Korea Air Force Academy, 635 Danjae-ro, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, South Korea

    Changwon Go

  4. College of Business Administration, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-916, South Korea

    Seokhwa Yun

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  1. Seoin Yoon
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Correspondence to Seckyoung Loretta Kim.

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Yoon, S., Kim, S.L., Go, C. et al. Knowledge Sharing, Hypercompetitiveness, and Contextual Factors: Investigating a Three-Way Effect. J Bus Psychol 35, 489–502 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-019-09634-x

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