Hoarding Knowledge

Forget Knowledge Sharing - Colleagues Hide Their Best Ideas

May 2 2006 - Has a colleague ever ignored you when you asked for information? Did you have the feeling that they were deliberately avoiding you or were only pretending to be ignorant? Recent research suggests that you may have been right.

Catherine Connelly, assistant professor of HR & management at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business, has found that workers often protect their knowledge, even taking steps to hide it from colleagues. Catherine Connelly and colleagues David Zweig of the University of Toronto and Jane Webster of Queen's University are presenting their findings at the annual conference of The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in Dallas May 5-7.

She considers that companies regard knowledge acquired on the job as proprietary and implement expensive knowledge management systems to ensure those in the know share with others and says that this behaviour is bad for business.

Catherine Connelly says that the reluctance to share produces a contagious tendency to hide important knowledge and as a result productivity suffers.

Connelly's research indicates that employees are more likely to share with people they trust and treat them fairly. "When organizations emphasize positive relationships and trust among employees, knowledge sharing will become part of the culture," she explained.

Clues you've been a victim of knowledge hiding:

You ask a colleague for help, and they say
"I'm sorry. My boss doesn't want this to be public right now."
Nothing. They ignore your request.
"I don't know. Maybe someone else can help you out."

Why people engage in knowledge hiding:

they feel that an injustice has been done to them
they are distrustful of co-workers or management
they are retaliating against someone else's behavior toward them
the organizational climate encourages secrecy, not sharing
they can get away with it

How to encourage knowledge sharing:

emphasize positive relationships and trust among employees
explain the mutual benefits of having colleagues share their knowledge
treat all workers fairly and respectfully
make knowledge sharing part of the culture