The impact of middle managers narcissism on knowledge sharing propensity

Research addressing the microfoundations of knowledge sharing is emergent and\r\ngrowing, but there is still a lack of studies analyzing the trait of narcissism. This lack of\r\nstudies appears relevant for middle-management figures, who increasingly play a strategic\r\nrole in transferring knowledge, especially within professional organizations. This paper\r\naims to study how three dimensions of narcissism, namely leadership/authority, grandiose\r\nexhibitionism, and entitlement/exploitativeness, impact the knowledge-sharing behavior\r\nof middle managers within organizations. A community of 115 Italian doctors who held\r\nmiddle management positions (head of ward unit) was investigated. The results indicate\r\nthat leadership/authority and grandiose exhibitionism are negatively related to the\r\npropensity to share knowledge. In contrast, entitlement/exploitativeness has a positive\r\nrelationship with the knowledge-sharing propensity. The study offers necessary evidence\r\nboth for scholars and organizations.