How and when do perceptions of supervisor evasive knowledge hiding escalate into diminished job performance?

Drawing from social exchange theory, this study investigates how and when supervisor evasive knowledge hiding might lead to lower job performance by employees. The hypotheses were tested with three-round survey data, collected among employees and peers in various industries. Employees' perceptions that their supervisor engages in deceptive knowledge hiding undermine their own performance-enhancing efforts because they develop career plateau beliefs; this explanatory role is particularly salient among employees exposed to despotic leadership. This study pinpoints a notable risk for employees who feel upset when they believe a despotic supervisor is intentionally concealing knowledge: They grow disappointed with their career situation, which prompts them to adopt complacent behavioral responses that likely render it even more challenging to access valuable supervisor knowledge. S'appuyant sur la theorie de l'echange social, cette etude examine comment et quand la dissimulation des connaissances evasives du superviseur peut conduire a une baisse des performances professionnelles des employes. Les hypotheses ont ete testees a l'aide de donnees d'enquete en trois cycles, recueillies aupres d'employes et de pairs de divers secteurs. La perception des employes selon laquelle leur superviseur dissimule des connaissances trompeuses compromet leurs propres efforts d'amelioration des performances, car ils developpent des croyances en matiere de plateau de carriere; ce role explicatif est particulierement saillant chez les salaries exposes a un leadership despotique. Cette etude identifie un risque notable pour les employes qui se sentent contraries lorsqu'ils croient qu'un superviseur despotique cache intentionnellement des connaissances: ils deviennent decus de leur situation professionnelle, ce qui les pousse a adopter des reponses comportementales complaisantes qui rendent probablement encore plus difficile l'acces aux connaissances precieuses du superviseur.