How does leader's knowledge hiding kill innovative work behavior

Purpose Numerous studies have linked the role of knowledge sharing with project success, while limited attention has been given to the consequences of knowledge hiding. The unwillingness of leaders to share information may cause the failure of assigned tasks, thus affecting the success of any project. Withholding information by leaders can potentially result in incomplete ideas, thus causing poor innovative work behaviour (IWB) among employees. Despite such knowledge-hiding behaviour, most employees continue working positively towards IWB. Design/methodology/approach In order to test these proposed hypotheses, data were collected from active information technology (IT) projects using purposive sampling technique. The purposive sampling method was selected to specifically focus on projects that require innovation. A total of 324 responses were considered for final analyses, which were collected in time lag. Findings The study outcomes amplified the important issue of knowledge-hiding behaviour among leaders that adversely affected the IT project industry and how such behaviour led to failure as a result of poor IWB. Apparently, IWB intervened between knowledge-hiding behaviour among leaders and project success. However, high curiosity among employees seemed to reduce the negative effects of knowledge-hiding behaviour among leaders. Originality/value This study substantially adds to the leadership literature and holds immense importance for project professionals by drawing their attention to the neglected area causing project failure.