Workplace: A culture of mistrust leads to knowledge-hiding

Knowledge-hiding can have many causes. Many are simply afraid of losing their expert status if they explain their methodology to others. Photo: dpa

Without the help of colleagues, it's often not possible to proceed with a task or project. When a team member blocks or claims not to know the answer to something, this is known as knowledge-hiding, the conscious withholding of knowledge that another person is asking for.

"Many people haven't heard of the term, but when I explain it, they all say, 'Yes, I've experienced that or done it myself'," says Florian Offergelt, assistant professor of leadership and organisational knowledge management at Austria's Seeburg Castle University.