Seifallah Andayesh

Introduction: The aim of this study is to examine the impact of knowledge hiding on task performance with the mediator to examine role of individual creativity among the employees of public library institutions in Iran. Methodology: This research is descriptive and survey based and its objective is applied. The statistical population of this study includes managers, administrative staff and district managers of the public library institutions, with a research sample of 125 people selected through cluster sampling. The data collection instrument used to measure knowledge hiding was the Serenko and Bontis (2016) questionnaire, which contained 12 items divided into three sections: evasive hiding, playing dumb, and rational hiding. In addition, individual creativity was measured using the questionnaire by Zhou and George (2001) and task performance was measured using the questionnaire by Babakus et al. rated. (2009) Questionnaire. The reliability of these instruments was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha test, and their validity was confirmed by content validity and confirmatory factor analysis. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics indicators such as frequency distribution and inferential statistics, and structural equation modeling with Smart PLS was used. Results: The results showed that knowledge hiding has a negative association with task performance. Furthermore, hiding knowledge has significant negative impacts on individual creativity. Individual creativity has a significant positive relationship with task performance. Conclusion: The results suggest that individual creativity acts as a mediator in the relationship between knowledge hiding and task performance.