"Leadership effectiveness depends less on choosing a single style and more on integrating opposing approaches," the researchers note. This balancing act creates “psychological safety”, which emerged as the key mechanism enabling employees to share information freely and admit mistakes without fear.
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): What if the secret to stopping employees from hoarding information isn't picking a leadership style -- but embracing two opposite ones at once?
A new study from the Indian Institute of Management Indore found that managers, who simultaneously enforce standards and allow autonomy, dramatically reduce "knowledge hiding" -- the silent killer of innovation in service industries.
Published in the Journal of Knowledge Management, the study titled Unravelling the Effects of Paradoxical Leader Behaviours on Knowledge Hiding was co-authored by Jatin Pandey of IIM Indore, Neha Popat (DPM participant) and other collaborators. The research examined 221 employees in the hospitality sector.
Knowledge hiding -- when employees intentionally conceal information from colleagues -- has long plagued service industries, damaging innovation and service quality. The IIM Indore study revealed that "paradoxical leader behaviours," where managers simultaneously enforce standards while allowing autonomy, directly reduce this defensive behaviour.
"Leadership effectiveness depends less on choosing a single style and more on integrating opposing approaches," the researchers note. This balancing act creates “psychological safety”, which emerged as the key mechanism enabling employees to share information freely and admit mistakes without fear.
Transformational leadership amplifies results
The study uncovered an important synergy: when transformational leadership -- characterised by inspiration, developmental support and encouragement of new ideas --combines with paradoxical behaviours, the positive effects on psychological safety are significantly heightened.
This suggests hospitality organisations should design leadership development programs that integrate both approaches rather than treating them separately.
Strategic Implications for Managers
For hospitality industry leaders, the research offers concrete priorities:
Develop tension-management capabilities in leaders
Embed psychological safety as a strategic organisational goal
Design work environments that encourage interaction and openness
These actions improve knowledge flows, enhance team performance, and support long-term competitiveness in complex service environments.
Research methodology
The study employed a time-lagged design -- collecting data at different intervals -- to establish causal relationships between paradoxical leader behaviours, psychological safety, transformational leadership and knowledge-hiding behaviour. Regression analysis confirmed that psychological safety mediates the relationship between paradoxical leadership and reduced knowledge hiding.
Visit Our Website : https://leadershipglobalawards.com/
Get Connected Here:
==================
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Twitter : https://twitter.com/Leadership15558
Pinterest : https://in.pinterest.com/leadershipco...
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/leadershipc...
Comments
Post a Comment