[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Connelly_Catherine.jpg” caption=”Catherine Connelly”]Have you ever asked a colleague for information, only to have them ignore your request? Did you feel they were purposely avoiding you or only pretending to be ignorant? You may have been right.

Catherine Connelly, assistant professor of human resources & management at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, has found that employees often protect their knowledge and will even take steps to hide it from co-workers

Considering that companies regard knowledge acquired on the job as proprietary and implement expensive knowledge management systems to ensure those in the know share with others, this behaviour is bad for business, says Connelly.

The reluctance to share produces a contagious tendency to hide important knowledge and as a result productivity suffers, she adds.

Connelly found that employees are more willing to share with people they trust and who treat them fairly. “When organizations emphasize positive relationships and trust among employees, knowledge sharing will become part of the culture,” explains Connelly.

Connelly and her colleagues David Zweig of the University of Toronto and Jane Webster of Queen's University will present their findings at the annual conference of The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in Dallas May 5-7.

Clues you've been a victim of knowledge hiding:

You ask a colleague for help, and they say: