Ilkogretim Online - Elementary Education Online, Year; Vol 20 (Issue 5): pp. 1258-1266 http://ilkogretim-online.org doi: 10.17051/ilkonline.2021.05.140 1258| Nosheen Sarwat Job Insecurity and Innovative Performance: The Mediating role of Knowledge Hiding in Organizations Job Insecurity and Innovative Performance: The Mediating role of Knowledge Hiding in Organizations Nosheen Sarwat, Institute of Management Sciences Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan noshinsarwat@gmail.com Dr. Shahzad Khurram, Associate Professor,Air University Islamabad, Pakistan, khurramjah2002@yahoo.co.uk Anjela Khurram, Research Scholar, RITM, University of Paris Saclay, France, arsh_jah@yahoo.com Seerat Fatima, Institute of Management Sciences Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, sfseerat@gmail.com Abstract- Using data from a diverse sample (n=194, paired samples based on data from employeesand their supervisors) from various organizations across Pakistan, this study examined an emergent construct knowledge hiding (which we conceptualized as a silence behavior based on EVLNC, Exit, Voice, Loyalty, Neglect, Cynicism model) and its relation to innovative performance. Against knowledge hiding we also tested job insecurity and innovative performance. Data was analyzed using bootstrapping and regressions analysis. Results supported that knowledge hiding could be significantly predicted by employee’s reaction to job insecurity in organizations. Further our findings also indicated that when people feel insecure at their job they indulge in somewhat counterwork behaviors like hiding knowledge and which can negatively affect their innovative performance. Key words: Knowledge hiding, Job Insecurity, innovative performance, silence behavior I. INTRODUCTION The emergence of the contemporary organization has brought about a myriad of changes in the work settings since the past couple of decades (Capelli, 1999). Mergers, Acquisitions, layoffs, compulsory retirements, economic conditions etc. have had a profound impact on organizations across the globe. These changes have also altered the employer expectations and employee’s behaviors. Matters related to how these changes effect individuals and how they respond have always been of great interest to research scholars and practitioners. Considerable attention has been given by researchers to these matters and we can find extant literature of employee responses to issues like job insecurity (Ashford, Lee &Bobko, 1989; Huang, Niu, Lee & Ashford, 2012) and organizational injustice (Ambrose, Seabright &Schiminke, 2002; Jones, 2009). The Exit, Voice, Loyalty, Neglect, Cynicism (EVLNC) model (Naus, Iterson& Roe, 2007) provides a comprehensive explanation as to what kind of general reactions people might exhibit to adverse behaviors like job insecurity, organizational injustice etc. Of particular Interest to this study is the silence behavior. It is important to note silence doesn’t necessarily mean the absence of speech. Silence pertains to “Intentionally withholding work-related ideas, information and opinions” (Dyne, Ang & Botero, 2003, p.1363). Employees can remain silent due to multiple motives in the perspective. For instance, when an employee is approached with a specific request for knowledge he may intentionally conceal it by procrastinating the request for knowledge, hide knowledge due to personal advantage or believe that the requested knowledge is of utmost organizational importance and hence should not be revealed. In the knowledge and creativity literature researchers have also identified that whenthe mere success and survival of an organization is dependent on its individuals sharing knowledge with each other, behaviors like knowledge hiding might have a devastating effect on the organization’s overall performance.Knowledge hiding has been coined as a kind of behavior in which the knowledge hider, intentionally hides knowledge when requested from the knowledge seeker(Connelly, Zweig, Webster&Trougakos, 2012). Some researchers argue that that knowledge hiding is not necessarily with the intention to harm the organization (Connelly et al., 2012) others alternatively pose that it is a kind of counterwork behavior (Cerne, Nerstad, Dysvik&Skerlavaj, 2012). Based on this understanding, this study makes an attempt to study knowledge hiding as a reaction to feelings of job insecurity in organizations.