Investigation of how Gender Moderates and Overall, Justice Mediates the Impact of Abusive Supervision on Knowledge Hiding

Abstract

The research aimed to explore the influence of abusive supervision on knowledge hiding, considering the concept of
overall justice within the framework of social exchange theory. Additionally, employing a moderated mediation model, we
investigated the role of gender as a moderator in the connection between abusive supervision and knowledge hiding mediated by overall justice, grounded in social role theory. The data was collected from the participants through likert questionnaire. Smart-PLS software was employed to conduct data analysis. The results, based on a sample of 351 participants from private sector universities in Pakistan, revealed that abusive supervision negatively impacts overall justice. However, the effects of overall justice on knowledge hiding and its mediation between abusive supervision and knowledge hiding were not statistically significant. Nevertheless, abusive supervision's impact on knowledge hiding via overall justice was significant among males but not females. This research contributes valuable insights to the understanding of how individuals of different genders respond to abusive supervision in their pursuit of fairness, thus enriching the literature on knowledge hiding.