THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DARK PERSONALITY TRAITS AND KNOWLEDGE HIDING BEHAVIOR: A STUDY ON FRONTLINE HOTEL EMPLOYEES

Since personality traits shape individual behaviors in business, discussions surrounding these traits remain a significant focus in the literature.This study aims to examine the relationship between dark personality traits and knowledge hiding behavior among frontline employees in hotel businesses.The research was conducted in 4-and 5-star hotels located in Istanbul and focuses on the presence of dark triad traits-Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy-and their relationship with knowledge hiding.A quantitative research method was employed, utilizing the "Knowledge Hiding Scale" and the "Dirty Dozen Scale" to collect data from 417 front-line hotel employees.The data were analyzed using reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and Pearson correlation analysis.The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between Machiavellianism and narcissism and two specific knowledge hiding behaviors: "evasive hiding" and "playing dumb."Moreover, both Machiavellianism and psychopathy were positively related to "rationalized hiding."These results suggest that dark personality traits are notably associated with how employees choose to withhold knowledge in organizational contexts, potentially impacting communication, collaboration, and overall workplace dynamics.