When Conflicts Turn Cold: How Rivalry and Belonging Needs Drive Knowledge Hiding

What is it about?

This study explores how interpersonal conflict—emotionally charged disputes between coworkers—can lead employees to hide knowledge rather than share it. It identifies relatedness need frustration, or the sense that one’s need to belong and feel connected at work is unfulfilled, as a key factor that explains this harmful response. The study also examines how employees’ narcissistic rivalry, a tendency to view others as competitors rather than collaborators, can intensify this process. Using three-wave, time-lagged data collected from employees in Pakistani organizations, the findings reveal that when coworkers engage in interpersonal fights or experience emotional friction, they start feeling alienated and disconnected from others. This lack of belonging diminishes their willingness to share valuable information, as they no longer trust or care to support their colleagues. The effect is even stronger among those with high narcissistic rivalry, who see workplace relationships as battles for superiority and interpret conflict as justification for withholding knowledge. For organizations, these results show that relationship strain can quietly undermine collaboration and innovation by eroding the social bonds that motivate knowledge exchange. Managers should actively promote a culture of respect and empathy, using conflict resolution strategies and teamwork-building exercises to strengthen belongingness. At the same time, they should identify and support employees with overly competitive or self-centered traits, guiding them toward cooperative rather than adversarial workplace behaviors.

Featured Image

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is unique in identifying relatedness need frustration as the missing psychological link between interpersonal conflict and knowledge hiding, while revealing narcissistic rivalry as a key amplifier of this destructive pattern. It contributes to understanding how unmet emotional needs and personality dynamics interact to shape workplace knowledge behaviors. Its timeliness lies in addressing the growing challenge of knowledge management in organizations in Pakistan and beyond, where collaboration and shared expertise are critical to innovation. As remote and high-pressure work environments increase interpersonal tensions, these findings highlight the urgency of fostering psychological safety and belonging as foundations for open, knowledge-sharing cultures.