No abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the curvilinear relationship between workplace ostracism (supervisor ostracism and co-worker ostracism) and knowledge hoarding by using the conservation of resources theory. In addition, the paper predicts one possible situational context (political skill) that may influence employees’ reaction to ostracism. Design/methodology/approach Using a two-wave research design, the authors collected data from 240 samples in a Chinese diversified company. Hierarchical regression models were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The authors found that the relationship between workplace ostracism (supervisor ostracism and co-worker ostracism) and knowledge hoarding was U-shaped. Moreover, political skill moderated the linkage between workplace ostracism and knowledge hoarding such that the U-shaped association was stronger for people higher, rather than lower, in political skill. Originality/value By exploring a curvilinear relationship between ostracism and knowledge hoarding, the study enriches the knowledge hoarding literature by adding a substantive predictor of knowledge hoarding. The findings can also extend the workplace ostracism literature by providing a new conceptual analysis of interpreting the inconsistent findings involving the influence of workplace ostracism. Moreover, identifying political skill as a moderator can gain a better understanding of when and why an ostracized employee’s knowledge hoarding behavior can be less likely.

Aim:This study aims to investigate the influence of nurses' negative affective states on their knowledge-hiding behaviours through moral disengagement, and especially the moderating role of ethical leadership. Background: Researchers have paid much attention to the harmfulness of knowledge hiding, yet the mechanisms of why and how nurses' negative affective states have an impact on their knowledge-hiding behaviours are less clear. Method: Two different questionnaire surveys were used in two different studies. In Study 1, a research design with three stages, including 323 nurses (64.47% response rate, 51.70% male) working in a hospital in Shanghai, China, was used. Study 2 involved 317 nurses (63.40% response rate, 51.74% male) working in five hospitals in Shanghai, China. The two studies shared the same statistical method, in which hierarchical regression analyses, the Sobel test, and bootstrap estimates were used to test hypotheses.Results: We found that (a) nurses' negative affective states were positively related to their knowledge-hiding behaviours; (b) moral disengagement partially mediated this relationship in Study 1, but fully mediated it in Study 2; and (c) ethical leadership mitigated the indirect relationship between negative affective states and knowledge hiding via moral disengagement.Conclusion: Nurses with negative affective states are more likely to activate moral disengagement as a secondary cognitive process to make personal moral rules momentarily obscure, which, in turn, leads them to hide knowledge that is requested by other members. The above relationships will depend on the levels of ethical leadership. Implications for NursingManagement: Nurse managers should try to reduce nurses' knowledge-hiding behaviours by addressing nurses' negative affective states, decreasing nurses' moral disengagement, and performing ethical leadership behaviours. K E Y W O R D S ethical leadership, knowledge hiding, moral disengagement, negative affective states, nurses, unethical behaviour How to cite this article: Zhao H, Xia Q. Nurses' negative affective states, moral disengagement, and knowledge hiding: The moderating role of ethical leadership. J Nurs Manag.

Aims & BackgroundsAlthough inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are emerging and increasing in China, epidemiologic data are rarely available. This study was to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of IBD in Northern China.MethodsThis is a prospective, population-based study of incidence of IBD in Daqing,Heilongjiang province of Northern China from March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013. All incident patients with IBD were clinically identified by IBD specialist group from five main General Hospitals covering the healthcare service for 1,343,364 residents in the urban areas of Daqing. IBD cases included in this study were followed-up for three months for diagnosis confirmation.ResultsA total of 27 new IBD cases including 25 cases of ulcerative colitis (UC) and 2 cases of Crohn's disease (CD) were identified. The population at risk was 1,343,364 person years. Age-adjusted incidence for total IBD, CD and UC were 1.77, 0.13, and 1.64 per 100,000population, respectively. A male predominance was found in CD patients (male to female ratio was 2∶0). In contrast, no obvious gender predominance was found in UC patients (male to female ratio was 1∶1.1). CD patients were diagnosed at an average age of 39.5 years. The main disease phenotypes of UC were distal colitis with a 24% of proctitis and 56% of left-sided colitis. The mean diagnostic age of UC patients was 48.9 years.ConclusionsThis is the first report on the incidence of IBD in the Northern Chinese population. A lower incidence of IBD, similar male predominance for CD, similar disease phenotype of UC, and lower disease activity was observed in Daqing compared to that in Southern China.