Open Access

ARTICLE

Workplace territorial behaviors and employee knowledge sharing: Team identification mediation and task interdependence moderation

Ziyuan Meng, Yongjun Chen, Hui Wang^*

Business School, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, China

* Corresponding Author: Hui Wang. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2025, 35(4), 489-496. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2025.070068

Received 12 February 2025; Accepted 01 June 2025; Issue published 17 August 2025

Abstract

This study tested a multilevel model of the workplace territorial behaviors and employees’ knowledge sharing relationship, with team identification serving as a mediator and task interdependence as a moderator. Data were collected from 253 employees (females = 128, mean age = 28.626, SD = 6.470) from 40 work teams from different industries in China. Path analysis results indicated that workplace territorial behaviors were associated with lower employee knowledge sharing. Team identification enhanced employee knowledge sharing and partially mediated the relationship between workplace territorial behaviors and employee knowledge sharing. Task interdependence enhanced knowledge sharing and strengthened the relationship between team identification and knowledge sharing. These findings extend the proposition of social information processing theory by revealing the mediating role of team identification in the relationship between workplace territorial behaviors and knowledge sharing, and clarifying the boundary conditions of team identification. Practical implications of these findings include a need for managers to foster collaborative atmospheres, design interdependent tasks, and mitigate territorial behaviors to enhance team identification and knowledge sharing.

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Keywords

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