Chapter 4: Antecedents of Knowledge-Hiding Behaviour Among Sri Lankan Entrepreneurial Undergraduates: An Empirical Study

This study aims to identify the factors explaining the knowledge-hiding behaviour (KHB) of Sri Lankan entrepreneurial undergraduates. Using a survey strategy and convenience sampling, data was collected from 250 undergraduates from Sri Lankan universities that offer entrepreneurial degree programs. The research established that distrust, mutual reciprocity and psychological ownership positively affect KHB for university students. However, social interaction and social identification were not found to have a significant influence. Thus, this study contributes theoretically to the domain of knowledge hiding in an academic setting within the Sri Lankan context to encourage further research. In practical terms, the study implies that university management must create a favourable learning environment to control KHB and enhance knowledge sharing among learners through increased social interactions, attention to psychological ownership and cooperation. To the author’s knowledge, only a few studies have examined the antecedents of KHB in the context of Sri Lanka.