Drawing on the job design model and adaptive cost theory, this study investigates the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled task and knowledge characteristics on knowledge hiding. It also explores the moderating role of mastery climate.
This study collected data from 357 employees in high-tech firms using a two-phase survey to empirically test the proposed hypotheses.
The results indicate that AI-enabled task characteristics (skill and task variety) and knowledge characteristics (specialization, problem solving and job complexity) drive employees to hide knowledge from colleagues. Furthermore, a mastery climate effectively mitigates the impact of AI-enabled task and knowledge characteristics on knowledge hiding.
This study advances understanding of the relationship between AI and knowledge hiding by shifting attention from employees’ psychological reactions to the structural transformation of work, showing how AI-enabled job design reshapes tasks and generates adaptive costs that foster knowledge hiding.
