Knowledge hiding behavior on moral emotions: evidence from bachelor of business administration students, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka

Abstract

The knowledge hiding behavior among university students creates the barriers in developing a pool of competitive future managers and its limits the effectiveness of team projects while worsen the relationship between colleagues. University students encounter to post moral emotions such as shame and guilt as an outcome of knowledge hiding behavior among their team. The basic purpose of this research is to find out the relationship between knowledge hiding behavior and moral emotions of university students of BBA SEUSL and create awareness about the negative consequences of knowledge hiding behavior among them. Data has been collected by self-developed five-point Likert scale survey questionnaire; using random sampling method, data gathered from 200 Bachelor of Business Administration students in the faculty of Management and Commerce, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. Sufficient validity and reliability were confirmed for further examining process. While analyses the level of knowledge hiding behavior and moral emotions, the study results confirm that University students (BBA) have high level of knowledge hiding behavior and moral emotions as well as less variation among them. This study finding strongly deliberated that there is a strong significant association between knowledge hiding behavior on moral emotions of university students (BBA) of SEUSL. Further, Kind of moral emotions shame and guilt feelings have been evoked in the pupils who hidden their knowledge among their study mates. Future researchers can expand this study with large sample size with other faculty students in South Eastern University of Sri Lanka and other university students as well. This research provides the basic understanding about the later negative and emotional outcome of knowledge hiding behavior among the group of students. This may help the future students and managers to develop the appropriate relationship and healthier knowledge sharing attributes to avoid the negative impacts of knowledge hiding.