The interplay of mindfulness in mitigating the effects of workplace ostracism on knowledge sharing: Insights from Jordanian private hospitals

Abstract

The study aims to investigate the relationship between workplace ostracism and employee willingness to share knowledge with the moderating role of mindfulness. The data were collected from six leading private hospitals in Amman, Jordan, targeting 271 employees holding different medical and administrative positions regarding their experiences with workplace ostracism and the corresponding impact on knowledge sharing. Thus, the study sample being healthcare professionals is not by default but rather a conscious choice in light of the critical role they play in a high-stake environment; moreover, in some cases, knowledge hoarding has proven to have dire repercussions. The results revealed that workplace ostracism significantly and negatively affected degrees of knowledge sharing (p < 0.001). This indicates that ostracized workers would feel shut out and likely become a hindrance to the information and insight flow. The positive outcome is that employees engaging in mindfulness practices seem to cushion the blow that such negative experiences deliver. Those likely to become easily focused are likely to be less threatened by knowledge sharing – they expect that the impact of ostracism will be transient, which could protect a person from the potentially isolating effects of ostracism in the workplace.

Keywords

• behavioral management
• communication in the workplace
• mental presence
• professional marginalization