Reimagining Non-sharing Knowledge Behaviours: A Multi-theoretical Perspective

Knowledge-sharing research generally treats sharing as beneficial and withholding as a problem in organizational settings. This article challenges this distinction by examining the strategic, psychological and organizational conditions under which individuals choose not to share their knowledge. We conceptualize knowledge non-sharing as a context-dependent behaviour, drawing on conservation of resources, psychological ownership, social identity and self-determination theory to explain why individuals may choose to withhold knowledge. A stakeholder perspective reveals that the consequences of non-sharing are not uniform: protecting knowledge may benefit one actor while imposing costs on another. Our analysis reconceptualizes knowledge non-sharing as a strategic action and reveals tensions among stakeholder interests. It also suggests a need for research that considers how non-sharing develops across levels, over time and in different contexts. For leaders and decision-makers, this means understanding that knowledge sharing is not always the right answer. Effective governance also has to consider when knowledge has to be protected and whose interests are at stake.