Impact of emotional intelligence on knowledge hiding behaviour of teachers: a moderated mediation analysis

Purpose Given the scarcity of research exploring the influence of emotional dimensions on knowledge hiding (KH), this paper aims to examine how various facets of emotional intelligence (EI) affect teachers’ tendencies to hide knowledge. Additionally, the study delves into the mediating influence of organizational cynicism (OC) and explores the moderating role of servant leadership (SL) in this context. Design/methodology/approach The non-probability sampling method was used to gather data from 542 university teachers teaching in India. Structural equation modelling using Smart-PLS has been used to test the hypothesis. Findings The study revealed that EI negatively influences KH. Additionally, OC mediates the relationship between EI and KH. Furthermore, SL moderates the relationship between OC and KH. Originality/value As per the authors’ knowledge, the present study makes an additional contribution by investigating the mediating role of OC in the relationship between EI and KH. Moreover, it also investigates the moderating role of SL in the relationship between OC and KH.