Introduction: Knowledge has increasingly been recognized as one of the most strategic organizational resources, playing a pivotal role in achieving competitive advantage, fostering innovation, and enhancing organizational performance. In service-oriented organizations, particularly healthcare institutions, knowledge sharing among employees is essential, as the quality of healthcare services largely depends on the timely exchange of professional expertise and information. Despite the well-documented benefits of knowledge sharing, recent studies suggest that employees are not always willing to share their knowledge and may instead engage in behaviors referred to as knowledge hiding.
According to protection motivation theory and threat appraisal, individuals who perceive potential threats to their resources or professional status may engage in protective behaviors. Beyond cognitive and motivational factors, ethical values may also shape employees’ knowledge-related behaviors. In Islamic societies, Islamic Work Ethics (IWE) encompasses a set of ethical principles emphasizing honesty, justice, diligence, social responsibility, and commitment to work as a religious obligation. These values are expected to promote cooperative behaviors and reduce counterproductive practices, including knowledge hiding. Despite the importance of these variables, empirical research examining the combined effects of threat appraisal, intrinsic motivation, and Islamic Work Ethics on knowledge hiding in social networking environments remains limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of threat appraisal and intrinsic motivation on nurses’ intentions to engage in knowledge hiding on social networking sites, while examining the moderating role of Islamic Work Ethics (IWE). Specifically, threat appraisal was conceptualized in terms of perceived severity and perceived vulnerability, whereas intrinsic motivation was represented by perceived competence, perceived autonomy, and perceived relatedness. Furthermore, given the ethical and cultural context of healthcare organizations in Islamic societies, this study sought to determine whether Islamic Work Ethics could mitigate or strengthen the relationships between threat appraisal, intrinsic motivation, and knowledge hiding intentions among nurses working in public hospitals in Tehran.
Methods: The present study is applied in nature and employs a quantitative, descriptive-correlational research design. The statistical population comprised nurses working in public hospitals in Tehran in 2025. A sample of 220 nurses was selected using random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising five sections, with details of the instrument presented in Table 1.
Data were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS. The reliability and validity of the measurement model were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The research hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Table 1 presents information on the dimensions, components, number of items, sources, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the measurement instrument.
Table 1. Dimensions, components, items, Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability related to research variables




Questionnaire


Item count


Scale


Cronbach's alpha


Composite reliability




(Wu, 2020a)


Perceived Severity


4


0.85


0.86




Perceived Vulnerability


4


0.83


0.83




(N. Yang et al., 2020)


Perceived Competence


4


0.88


0.85




Perceived Autonomy


4


0.85


0.86




Perceived Relatedness/Connection


3


0.81


0.82




(Connelly et al., 2012)


Rationalized Hiding


4


0.87*


0.89*




Playing Dumb


4


0.86


0.88




Evasive Hiding


4


0.87


0.84




(Ali, 1992)


Islamic Work Ethics


3


0.81


0.89




 
These findings indicate that the scale demonstrates adequate internal consistency and can be considered a reliable instrument for use in similar studies across the fields of technology, user behavior, digital health, and information security.
Findings: The findings indicate that threat appraisal significantly influences nurses’ intentions to hide knowledge on social networking platforms. Specifically, perceived severity and perceived vulnerability to potential threats were found to affect employees’ knowledge-related behaviors. Individuals who perceived higher levels of threat tended to regulate their behavior more cautiously and, under certain circumstances, exhibited lower intentions to engage in knowledge hiding.
The results also revealed significant relationships between intrinsic motivation and intentions to hide knowledge. The dimensions of perceived competence, autonomy, and relatedness were found to influence knowledge-hiding intentions. These findings suggest that intrinsic motivation does not necessarily promote knowledge sharing under all circumstances. In competitive professional environments, intrinsically motivated individuals may seek to retain specialized knowledge to preserve their professional status, protect valuable resources, or maintain a competitive advantage.
Moreover, Islamic Work Ethics (IWE) were found to play a significant moderating role in the relationships between threat appraisal, intrinsic motivation, and knowledge-hiding intentions. Employees with stronger Islamic ethical values exhibited lower intentions to engage in knowledge hiding, suggesting that ethical principles may mitigate the effects of individual cognitive and motivational factors on knowledge-related behaviors.
 
Table 2. Values ​​related to factor loading and significance of model components




Condtruct


Dimension


Factor Loading


t-value


p-value




Threat Appraisal


P- Severity


0.908


56.695


<0.01




 


P- Vulnerability


0.867


33.128


<0.01




Intrinsic Motivation


P- Competence


0.845


45.657


<0.01




P- Autonomy


0.840


46.038


<0.01




P- Relatedness


0.856


32.281


<0.01




Islamic Work Ethic


Islamic Work Ethic


0.842


6.296


<0.01




Knowledge Hiding


Evasive Hiding


0/792


28.066


<0.01




Playing Dumb


0.878


63.144


<0.01




Rationalized Hiding


0.863


64.552


<0.01




 
In this study, the goodness-of-fit (GOF) index, root mean square theta (RMSθ), standardized root mean square residual (SRMR), and normed fit index (NFI) were used to assess the model fit.
Table 3. Model fit assessment




Index


GOF


RMS_theta


SRMR


NFI


Chi-square distribution




Acceptable value


>0.36


<0.12


>0.08


<0.6


<5




Estimated value


0.611


0.081


0.061


0.815


4.131




 
In this study, the GOF index was estimated at 0.611, exceeding the recommended threshold of 0.36. The RMS_theta index was 0.081, which was below the threshold of 0.12, while the SRMR index was 0.061, below the recommended value of 0.08. The NFI index was 0.815, exceeding the acceptable threshold of 0.60, and the normalized chi-square index was 4.131, which was below the recommended maximum of 5.00. Overall, these results indicate that the proposed model demonstrates a good fit to the data.
Discussion and Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that knowledge hiding in organizational social networking environments is a multifaceted phenomenon shaped by the interplay of cognitive, motivational, and ethical factors. Although threat appraisal and intrinsic motivation represent important antecedents of knowledge-related behaviors, their effects are moderated by prevailing ethical values and cultural contexts. In this regard, Islamic Work Ethics appear to serve as an effective mechanism for promoting ethical conduct and fostering collaborative knowledge-sharing practices.
From a practical perspective, healthcare managers are encouraged to cultivate organizational cultures characterized by trust, transparency, and norms that support knowledge sharing. The development of appropriate incentive systems, the reduction of unhealthy competition, the enhancement of employees’ psychological safety, and the implementation of ethics training programs grounded in Islamic values may help reduce knowledge-hiding behaviors among healthcare professionals