Workplace spirituality, knowledge-hiding and the mediating role of organizational identification: evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to investigate relationship between workplace spirituality and employees' knowledge-hiding as mediated by organizational identification.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, a time-lagged design is employed and multi-source data are collected through self-administered questionnaires. A sample of 305 focal respondents and 1,048 of the respondents' peers is used to test the hypotheses using AMOS (analysis of moment structures) 24.0.

Findings

The results reveal that two dimensions of workplace spirituality – meaningful work and values alignment –play significant roles in reducing knowledge-hiding in terms of workplace spirituality's three dimensions of evasive hiding, rationalized hiding and “playing dumb.” However, contrary to expectations, a sense of community has significant positive effects on the dimensions of knowledge-hiding. The study also reveals that organizational identification significantly mediates the relationships between the dimensions of workplace spirituality and those of knowledge-hiding.

Originality/value

This pioneer study introduces workplace spirituality (which differs from religious spirituality) and the significance of workplace spirituality in the workplace in the religious and conservative society of Pakistan. This study uses the lens of social identity theory (SIT) to establish for the first-time organizational identity as a mediating mechanism between workplace spirituality and knowledge-hiding to offer new insights for theory and practice.

Citation

Muavia, M., Hussain, G., Sahibzada, U.F. and Wan Ismail, W.K. (2023), "Workplace spirituality, knowledge-hiding and the mediating role of organizational identification: evidence from Pakistan", International Journal of Emerging Markets, Vol. 18 No. 11, pp. 5359-5379. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-03-2021-0388