Remote work and knowledge hiding: the roles of social presence and perception of electronic monitoring

• Main Author: Zhang, Yikai
• Other Authors: Lee Chu Keong
• Format: Thesis-Master by Coursework
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2025
• Subjects: Business and Management; Social Sciences; Remote work; Knowledge hiding; Social presence; Electronic monitoring; Knowledge management
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182632
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Remote work has become a widely adopted arrangement in organizations, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. While remote work offers employees greater flexibility and autonomy, it also introduces challenges such as a lack of face-to-face interaction and reduced emotional connection, particularly increased knowledge-hiding behaviors. Knowledge hiding refers to employees intentionally concealing or refusing to share knowledge with colleagues. Existing research indicates that knowledge hiding significantly undermines team collaboration and innovation efficiency. However, there is still a lack of in-depth exploration into the specific mechanisms and dynamic characteristics of knowledge hiding in the context of remote work. Drawing on social presence theory and privacy communication management theory, this study develops a moderated mediation model to explore the mechanisms through which remote work influences knowledge hiding and its boundary conditions. Specifically, we propose that remote work reduces social presence, thereby increasing knowledge hiding behaviors. Furthermore, employees’ perceived electronic monitoring serves as a moderating variable, significantly influencing the relationship between social presence and different types of knowledge hiding behaviors (evasive hiding, playing dumb, and rationalized hiding). To validate the theoretical model, this study employed a longitudinal three-wave questionnaire design via the Chinese online survey platform "Wenjuanxing" to reduce common method bias. Respondents were drawn from multiple knowledge-intensive industries, such as information technology, education, finance, and healthcare, meeting the research requirement for a knowledge worker sample. First, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to ensure the model's good fit. Subsequently, this paper test the theoretical model by using regression analysis and bootstrapping, revealing the complex dynamics of knowledge hiding behaviors in remote work environments. This study contributes in three significant ways: Firstly, it situates the discussion of knowledge hiding behaviors within the novel context of remote work, providing an in-depth analysis of how different dimensions of knowledge hiding manifest in remote environments. Secondly, By introducing social presence theory, the study uncovers the unique pathways through which remote work influences employees' knowledge hiding behaviors, offering a new theoretical perspective. Thirdly, using employees’ perceived electronic monitoring as a moderating variable, the study further clarifies the differential mechanisms by which remote work impacts various types of knowledge hiding behaviors. This research not only expands the theoretical understanding of knowledge hiding behaviors in remote work settings but also offers practical management insights. For example, optimizing remote communication methods, enhancing social presence, and increasing transparency in monitoring policies can help reduce employees' knowledge hiding behaviors, thereby promoting team collaboration and organizational performance.