Creativity drives innovation and boosts organizational success. But when employees keep valuable knowledge to themselves, they don’t just harm their coworkers—they also stifle their own creativity. A study from BI Norwegian Business School shows that this behavior can hurt individuals and teams, though the impact depends on the workplace culture.
Employees who hoard knowledge often find themselves excluded from the loop. When coworkers realize someone is withholding information, they tend to retaliate by withholding in return. This back-and-forth creates a “reciprocal distrust loop,” where trust breaks down, and creativity suffers.
Thriving creativity
Creativity thrives on information. “Hiding knowledge reduces people’s ability to generate creative ideas,” the researchers explain. To solve problems, employees need both fresh insights and a strong base of prior knowledge.
So why do people hide what they know? Often, it’s a strategy to gain an edge. But any short-term advantage comes at a long-term cost. When others stop sharing, the hoarder misses out on vital input, and their own creativity declines.
The study found that workplace culture can either amplify or soften this cycle of distrust:
- Mastery climates focus on learning, teamwork, and skill-building. Here, employees are more likely to collaborate even when someone hoards knowledge.
- Performance climates emphasize competition and individual achievement. In these settings, knowledge hoarding sparks more of the same, making everyone less creative.
Put to the test
The researchers tested these ideas through two studies. First, they surveyed 240 employees and their supervisors at two Slovenian companies. They found that knowledge hoarding reduced creativity, especially in competitive environments.
Next, they ran an experiment with 132 students. Teams worked on a product idea under either mastery or performance conditions. In mastery-focused teams, even when one member hoarded knowledge, the group’s creativity wasn’t affected much. But in competitive teams, hoarding stifled creativity across the board.
The takeaway is clear: withholding knowledge doesn’t pay. It hurts coworkers and damages the hoarder’s own creativity. Leaders should take note too. For tasks that rely on open-ended problem-solving, fostering a culture of learning and collaboration will yield better results than one focused on individual performance.
Creativity, after all, works best when knowledge flows freely.
