Supervisor bottom-line mentality and subordinate knowledge hiding: role of team climate

Purpose Drawing on social information processing theory, this study constructs a multilevel moderated mediation model. This model seeks to delve into the intricate and previously overlooked interplay between supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM) and knowledge hiding. Within this context, we introduce self-interest as a mediating factor and incorporate performance climate as a team-level moderating variable. Design/methodology/approach The time-lagged data involve 336 employees nested in 42 teams from 23 automobile sales companies in five regions of China. The analysis was meticulously executed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, complemented by bias-corrected bootstrapping techniques. Findings The findings reveal that self-interest acts as a full mediator in the positive link between supervisor BLM and knowledge hiding. Furthermore, the performance climate plays a moderating role in both the relationship between supervisor BLM and self-interest, and the entire mediation process. Notably, these relationships are intensified in environments with a high performance climate compared to those with a low one. Originality/value This research stands as one of the pioneering efforts to integrate supervisor BLM into the discourse on knowledge hiding, elucidating the underlying psychological mechanisms and delineating the boundary conditions that shape the “supervisor BLM–knowledge hiding” relationship. Further, our insights provide organizations with critical guidance on strategies to curtail knowledge hiding among their employees.