Perfectionists do not like to share knowledge? Investigating the relationship between perfectionism and knowledge sharing and testing the moderation effect of coaching

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perfectionism and knowledge sharing by using a structural equation modelling analysis, and the perception of coaching style was tested as a moderator. The results revealed that high personal standards and concern over mistakes, which are aspects of perfectionism, significantly relate to knowledge-sharing attitude and intention. Furthermore, managers’ coaching styles affect the relationship between perfectionism and knowledge sharing. For employees who fear making mistakes, a high level of managerial coaching can promote knowledge-sharing intention and attitude among employees. However, for perfectionistic employees who set high standards for self-performance, a high level of managerial coaching diminishes their knowledge-sharing intention. Researchers have suggested that different coaching styles are preferred according to employees’ personalities. The results of this study offer insights for implementing appropriate management interventions and provide directions for human resource managers, employees, and related professionals to promote knowledge sharing in organisations.

KEYWORDS:

• Perfectionism
• knowledge sharing
• coaching
• personality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.