INFORMATION WITHHOLD AND THE DILEMMA BETWEEN THE POWER OF ACCESS AND THE ACCESS THAT EMPOWERS INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Abstract

Goal: The main goal of this study is to further justify the need to expand studies and investigate the impact of information withholding in organization, and to provide a research opportunity that improve the understanding of how information management, withholding, culture, and the complex subsets of information withholding in organizations, and society, impact the overall organizational performance, leadership, and learning. Design½Methodology½Approach: This study brings a brief literature review providing a theoretical framework to help address the research question on some of the main organizational issues regarding information withholding and its impact in leadership, organizational culture, and the overall business processes, including the information systems infrastructure. Results: After presenting the analysis, we offer some potentially fruitful questions for future research expanding the studies in information withholding in organizations, knowledge sharing, and learning. Originality½Value: The original contribution of this research is to provide evidence that when individuals, and/or the organizational culture, encourage or enable practices conducive to information withholding, the organizational processes and operations are negatively impacted, leading to deviant and unethical behaviors that affect the morale, trust in leadership, and the learning and sharing of knowledge. The conclusions presented in this work will hopefully be used to further the investigation, understanding, and implications of the findings. While studies related to information use behavior, knowledge sharing, and information disclosure are relatively extensive in the context of human behavior and psychology, there is a gap in the literature regarding information withholding in the context of organizational impact and the use of information to gain business and political advantage. The initial partial acquisition of Twitter shares by the CEO and founder of Tesla and Space X in 2022 came under fire for delaying disclosure of information about the purchase. A class lawsuit was filed on behalf of shareholders claiming that the delay of the mandated disclosure of information regarding the acquisition put them at disadvantage exemplifying the issues of information withholding. In this study, we examine the literature pertaining to information withholding and propose a conceptual framework that considers behavioral, structural, and technical issues related to how information is used, accessed, shared, and withheld. It examines factors impacting information and knowledge sharing practices in organizations such as leadership, organizational cultural issues, aspects of organizational learning, the use and misuse of technological apparatuses, and deficient transparency that could inhibit communication, information systems use, and the overall organizational innovation and growth.