Detrimental impact of abusive leadership on knowledge workers’ productivity: evidence from higher education sector

Purpose

Drawing on Nonaka’s knowledge creation (KC) theory, this study aims to argue and examine how hampered knowledge sharing (KS) decreases KC and knowledge utilization (KU), which, in turn, mitigates KU to inhibit productivity. Accordingly, this study also aim to investigate how KS and KC mediate between the impact of abusive leadership on KU to hamper knowledge-worker productivity (KWP).

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 263 faculty members across Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan. The Covariance-based Structural Equation Modelling technique was used in AMOS v.26 to test the proposed hypothesis.

Findings

The results revealed that abusive supervision impedes KU directly and indirectly via KC and KS, decreasing KWP.

Originality/value

Through Drucker’s KWP, this study delves into mechanisms on how abusive leadership directly mitigates KU, leading to hampered KWP. We further contribute to the knowledge-management literature through Nonaka’s theory of how KS and KC mediate the negative relationship between abusive leadership and KU, leading to hampered KWP.

Ahmed, Q., Sumbal, M. S., Shujahat, M., Raziq, M. M., & Rozsa, Z. (2025). Detrimental impact of abusive leadership on knowledge workers’ productivity: evidence from higher education sector. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-01-2023-0046