Purpose Knowledge is considered as a strategic asset for the organizations, especially for knowledge-intensive firms. Research and development (R&D) is a significant unit in organizations, as it is devoted to knowledge creation and transfer. The success of any R&D project in an organization depends on its innovative value and the transfer of knowledge to the employees. This study aims to focus on factors triggering knowledge-hiding behavior among R&D employees, thus disrupting the knowledge creation in the organization. Design/methodology/approach The grounded theory approach has been used to analyze qualitative data collected from 19 in-depth interviews of R&D professionals (middle and junior level) working in Indian pharmaceutical firms. Findings The study identified factors that triggered knowledge-hiding behavior among employees. These factors include distrust, competitive work environment, perceived career insecurity, lack of recognition, lack of reciprocation and lack of confidence in own knowledge. In addition, four hiding strategies used by employees to hide their knowledge from their fellow members were explored and identified: playing innocent, being misleader/evasive hiding, rationalized hiding and counter-questioning. Research limitations/implications Besides improving the understanding of knowledge-hiding behavior, particularly in the Indian context, this study has implications for both managerial practices and organizational policies. Originality/value This paper highlights the factors influencing knowledge-hiding behavior among R&D employees. Knowledge-hiding construct has not been adequately studied; however, it prevails in the organization and has potential to influence various individual- and organizational-level outcomes. In addition, ways of hiding knowledge used by employees were identified and new forms of strategies named “counter-questioning” were found.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between perceived investments in employees’ development (PIED) on work engagement and the moderating effects of psychological capital on this relationship for liquid knowledge workers, employed in the Indian cutting and polishing of diamond industry (CPD). Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire composed of established scales was administered to 134 liquid knowledge workers. Having established convergent and discriminant validity using structural equation modelling, the model was further analysed using the Process macro to check for direct and moderating effects. Findings The research findings suggest that the perceived investment in employee development and psychological contract enhancement (relational and transactional) made by CPD units for liquid knowledge workers positively influenced their work engagement level. The study also finds that relational contract (not transactional contract) positively moderates the relationship between perceived investment in employee development and work engagement. Research limitations/implications This is a cross-sectional single source study; future studies could look at longitudinal and multisource perspective. Practical implications The study presents a “star matrix of engagement” that guides the application of the two strategies of perceived employee development and psychological contract enhancement for liquid knowledge workers. This has implications for design and implementation of human resource management practices and policies for employee management. Originality/value The study makes significant contributions to existing literature on antecedents of work engagement of liquid knowledge workers by examining the direct and moderating influences.

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The concept of sustainability has deeply penetrated in all functions of management such as supply chain, organisational behaviour, human resource, strategic management and so on. But recently, sustainable human resource management (S-HRM) has garnered a significant amount of attention from industry practitioners and academicians due to the escalation of adverse impact of existing HRM approaches on employees, society and the environment ( Mariappanadar, 2003 , International Journal of Social Economics, 30(8), 906–923; 2014a, Human Resource Management Review, 24(4), 313–329; 2014b, Sustainability and Human Resource Management, Springer). Human resource sustainability is being desired by all because of its notable implications for both the employees and the organisations. Previous literature establishes that human resource management (HRM) practices play a vital role in determining organisational success and survival. Furthermore, the harmful impact of high performance work systems and their existing HRM practices on the well-being of employees and their families has made it even more pertinent for industry practitioners to identify mechanisms to reduce employee harm and increase human resource sustainability for organisational growth and well-being. A research report by the Society for Human Resource Management in 2010 and a few other scholars claim that S-HRM can help HRM practitioners to reduce the negative impact of business practices on employees, society and the environment ( Cohen & Taylor, 2012 , HR’s role in corporate social responsibility and sustainability; Daily & Huang, 2001 , International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 21(12), 1539–1552; Dumitrana, 2009 , Human resources role in sustainable development). However, S-HRM has been studied sporadically, and there is a lack of convergence in its understanding. It has been broadly defined with the help of various perspectives borrowed from literature on strategic HRM, corporate social responsibility, Green HRM and sustainable work systems. This article aims to explore the existing literature of S-HRM to develop a deeper understanding of the concept. Through a comprehensive literature review, this article also highlights the evolution of S-HRM along with its implications for employees, HR managers and the organisations that have been studied in the previous literature.

This article elucidates the relationship between HR systems and ethical climate at workplace with primary focus on the procedure adopted for development of ethical climate, using case study of an Indian power distribution company (Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited [TPDDL]). The study categorizes TPDDL’s endeavours undertaken into two categories, explicit and implicit initiatives. Explicit ways of promoting ethics include ethics trainings, seminars on ethics, rewards and punishment policy, and mechanism of reporting ethical concerns/issues (ethics portal, whistle blower policy, IVRS, etc.). Implicit ways of creating ethical climate include HR practices, namely selective selection, training for developing interpersonal and technical skills, fair performance appraisal system and various engagement initiatives. The support and guidance of the senior management and line managers ensured successful execution of both initiatives. Results from the study suggest, over the period of time, the untiring efforts of various actors that saw the development of an ethical climate.