Management Review ›› 2024, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (9): 141-150.

• Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management • Previous Articles    

Love the Company, then Love the Coworkers? The Effect of Perceived Organizational Politics on Knowledge Sharing: The Role of Family-like Exchange Relationship

Zhou Hao, Lu Yunyan   

  1. Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064
  • Received:2022-12-02 Published:2024-10-10

Abstract: The influence of perceived organizational politics is considered to be highly correlated with cultural context. However, research on the intrinsic mechanisms of how perceived organizational politics affect knowledge sharing has relatively overlooked cultural context. Based on the perspective of family-like exchange relationship in the context of Chinese culture, this paper aims to understand the mediating mechanism and the boundary condition through which perceived organizational politics influence knowledge sharing. A three-wave survey is conducted among 227 full-time MBA students. Results reveal that: perceived organizational politics has a significant negative effect on family-like exchange relationship; family-like exchange relationship has a significant positive effect on knowledge sharing; family-like exchange relationship mediates the relationship between perceived organizational politics and knowledge sharing; impact negatively moderates the direct positive effect of family-like exchange relationship and the negative indirect effect of perceived organizational politics on knowledge sharing. This study provides explanation mechanisms based on family-like exchange relationship of Chinese culture for analyzing knowledge sharing, and offers practical suggestions for managers to motivate employees to share knowledge.

Key words: perceived organizational politics, family-like exchange relationship, knowledge sharing, impact