Management and Educational Perspective

Abstract This study investigated the effect of colleagues' rudeness on knowledge concealment through the mediation of work involvement and intention to leave, and the moderating role of staff pessimism in Valiasr Hospital in Bafgh. This is a causal-effectual, descriptive-survey and applicable research conducted with a field method and by a standard questionnaire. Data were collected from employees of Valiasr Hospital in Bafgh and analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods (including structural equation modeling based on the partial least squares method). Analyses were performed by SPSS27 software for preliminary calculations and SmartPLS4 for structural modeling. The results showed that in Valiasr Hospital in Bafgh, rudeness of colleagues significantly reduces job involvement, increases intention to leave the service, and ultimately strengthens knowledge concealment; so that job involvement and intention to leave the service play a significant sequential mediating role. The moderating role of employee cynicism was not confirmed. These findings indicate that in the small environment and close relationships of this city government hospital, rudeness of colleagues has a significant effect on reducing the motivation to share knowledge. Therefore, strengthening job involvement and improving interpersonal relationships in Valiasr Hospital in Bafgh can reduce knowledge concealment and improve the organizational performance.
Introduction
Knowledge concealment, as an intentional attempt by employees to hide all or part of their required knowledge from others, is considered one of the key challenges in organizations (Valikhani Dehaghani & Mohammadi, 2022). This behavior not only hinders knowledge sharing and undermines teamwork and organizational productivity, but in healthcare settings it can also negatively impact patient safety and lead to medical errors, treatment delays, and reduced patient satisfaction. In small and medium-sized hospitals such as Valiasr Hospital in Bafgh, which face human resource constraints and challenges in retaining expert staff, knowledge hiding is a serious issue because the clinical and empirical knowledge of employees directly affects the quality of patient care. One of the main factors associated with knowledge hiding is coworker rudeness (Mahdikhani & Elhami, 2025). Meanwhile, work engagement and turnover intention can play a mediating role, and employee cynicism can play a moderating role. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of coworker rudeness on knowledge concealment through the mediation of work engagement and turnover intention and the moderating role of employee cynicism in Valiasr Hospital in Bafgh.
Theoretical Framework
Knowledge Concealment:
Knowledge is divided into two types: tacit (based on individual skills) and explicit (descriptible and transferable) (Yazdipour & Sabouni, 2022). Knowledge concealment refers to a deliberate attempt to conceal requested knowledge, and its forms include fooling around, avoidance, and rational concealment (Imani et al., 2022).
Coworker incivility:
Coworker incivility refers to low-intensity disrespectful behaviors with vague intent to harm that violate norms of mutual respect. (Rahimi Koloor et al., 2023) This behavior can be verbal or nonverbal and carries high psychological costs. (Mahdikhani & Elhami, 2025).
Work engagement:
Work engagement is a positive psycho-behavioral state including high energy, focus, and a sense of belonging. (Sharei & Abbasi Darreh Bidi, 2025). This concept has cognitive, emotional, physical-psychological, social, and moral-value dimensions. (Karami et al., 2025)
Turnover intention:
Turnover intention is an individual’s subjective desire to leave the organization within a given period of time, influenced by factors such as job security and organizational justice (Sadeghi, 2023; Zamanipour et al., 2025).
Employee cynicism:
Employee cynicism is a negative attitude toward the organization, including a belief in a lack of integrity, negative emotions, and critical behaviors (Zamanipour et al., 2025).
According to the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, coworker rudeness, as a stressor, drains employees' psychological resources and leads to reduced work engagement and increased turnover intention, and ultimately knowledge concealment. The research background shows that Agarwal et al. (2024) concluded that rudeness increases knowledge concealment by reducing work engagement and increasing turnover intention. Also, Jabbari et al. (2023) showed that organizational cynicism mediates the relationship between rudeness and organizational silence.
Research Methodology
This study is applicable in terms of purpose; quantitative in terms of data nature; and descriptive-survey of causal-effectual type in terms of implementation method. The statistical population consisted of 450 official and contractual employees of Valiasr Hospital in Bafgh. The sample size was calculated based on the Cochran formula for the limited population as 210 people (with a confidence level of 95% and an error of 5%). Sampling was done by simple random sampling. The data collection tool was a standard five-point Likert questionnaire including: the Coworker Incivility Questionnaire (Cortina et al., 2001) with 7 questions, the Knowledge Concealment Questionnaire (Badar et al., 2023) with 3 questions, the Work Involvement Questionnaire (Islam & Chaudhary, 2024) with 7 questions, the Intention to Leave Questionnaire (Badar et al., 2023) with 3 questions, and the Employee Pessimism Questionnaire (Durrah et al., 2019) with 7 questions. Content validity was confirmed by experts and the supervisor. The reliability of the tool was reported to be higher than 0.70 by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient in an initial sample of 30 people for all variables (Incivility: 0.845, Concealment: 0.708, Involvement: 0.092, Intention to Leave: 0.866, Pessimism: 0.899). Data were analyzed by SPSS version 27 for descriptive analysis (mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis) and SmartPLS version 4 for structural equation modeling based on the partial least squares method (PLS-SEM). In the inferential section, the measurement model (factor loadings, composite reliability, convergent validity with AVE, and divergent validity with the Fornell and Larker matrix), the structural model (β path coefficients, R² coefficients, redundancy criterion, and t-statistics), and overall model fit (GOF) were evaluated.
Research findings
Out of 210 respondents, 133 (63.3%) were male and 77 (36.7%) were female. The modeling results showed: (1) Rudeness has a negative effect on engagement (β = -0.585, t = 7.238). (2) Involvement has a negative effect on intention to quit (β = -0.484, t = 7.058). (3) Intention to quit has a positive effect on concealment (β = 0.622, t = 13.271). (4) Pessimism did not have a moderating role (β = 0.063, t = 1.206). (5) The chain mediation of involvement and intention to quit was confirmed (β = 0.176, t = 5.011). R² for concealment (0.387), involvement (0.349) and intention to quit (0.234) was at a strong level.
Conclusion
The findings of this study showed that rudeness of colleagues reduces work engagement by draining employees' psychological resources (based on the conservation of resources theory). This decrease in engagement, in turn, increases the intention to leave the service and, ultimately, employees resort to knowledge concealment to preserve their knowledge capital. This causal chain shows that abnormal interpersonal behaviors in the healthcare environment not only drain employees' psychological resources, but also lead to defensive behaviors such as knowledge concealment by weakening job enthusiasm and creating a desire to leave. The findings of this study are consistent with the studies of Agarwal et al. (2024), Anand et al. (2023), Mahdikhani & Elhami (2025), and Jabbari et al. (2023), that have confirmed the role of rudeness, work engagement and pessimism in knowledge concealment. In this study, the moderating role of employees' pessimism was not confirmed; this finding is in contrast to the results of Agarwal et al. (2024) and Anand et al. (2023) who reported pessimism as an aggravating or mediating factor. However, it is consistent with the findings of Akhlaghimofrad & Farmanesh (2021) and Sadeghi (2023) who reported pessimism as having no moderating or mediating role. Contrary to the conservation of resources (COR) theory, pessimism did not have a moderating effect in this study. This is likely due to the low level of pessimism in the sample (mean 2.1 out of 5) and the prevalence of the medical professional culture (moral commitment to patients) that neutralizes the negative effects of rudeness.
Based on the results, practical suggestions include: holding communication skills workshops (active listening and conflict management) several times a year, developing a code of ethics and organizational behavior, creating a confidential reporting system, monthly recognition of exemplary employees with a plaque and cash bonus, developing a clear career path map, holding weekly meetings to share clinical experiences, and holding responsibility transfer meetings for knowledge transfer in the final months of employees' service. For future research, it is recommended to examine different dimensions of knowledge concealment (foolish play, avoidance, and rational concealment), consider other mediators such as emotional exhaustion and interpersonal distrust, conduct longitudinal studies in larger hospitals, and examine the role of cultural variables such as ethical leadership or organizational support as moderators. Acknowledgments The authors gratefully acknowledge all individuals, institutions, and organizations that provided scientific, technical, administrative, or advisory support throughout this research and the preparation of this manuscript. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial, personal, professional, or institutional conflicts of interest relevant to this work. Data Availability Statement The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. AI Use Statement The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies were used in the preparation, writing, or editing of this manuscript. Funding The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other financial support were received during the conduct of this research or the preparation of this manuscript. Ethics Approval All procedures performed in this study were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible institutional and national research committee.

Abstract Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of organizational stroke on teacher’s organizational cynicism with mediating of organizational rumor. The research method is descriptive-correlative. The statistical population of the study was all primary teachers in Konarak city (Sistan and Baluchestan province) in the academic year 2021-2022 (N=476), which were studied by random-stratified sampling (by gender) of 213 teachers through questionnaires of organizational stroke (Farajvand & Mesri, 2021), organizational cynicism (Kalagan et al., 2009), and organizational rumor (Dağli & Han, 2018). Correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data by using SPSS and Smart PLS softwares. Correlation coefficient findings showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between organizational stroke, organizational cynicism and organizational rumor. The results of structural equation model showed that the direct effect of organizational stroke on teacher's organizational cynicism is positive and significant. Also, the indirect effect of organizational stroke on teacher's organizational cynicism through mediation of organizational rumor is positive and significant. Thus organizational stroke not only directly increases the teachers' organizational cynicism but also can increase the organizational cynicism by increasing organizational rumor.
Extended abstract
Introduction
If teachers become cynicism about the education organization and school, it will reduce their participation in the decisions and activities of the organization, because they do not trust and believe in the intentions and plans of the organization and management. As a result, they will not have a commitment to the goals of the organization. Teachers' non-commitment to the goals of the education organization and school also causes them not only to withdraw extra effort in order to achieve organizational goals, but also not to perform their official and organizational duties in an optimal way. This issue leads to inefficiency and ineffectiveness of educational organizations (Zohoorparvandeh & Shokrollahi, 2017). When teachers in the process of effective communication with communication barriers, lack of transparency, and lack of received information, and experience an organizational stroke, their suspicion towards the education organization and school increases. In a poorly managed school, rumors can demoralize teachers and staff and increase anxiety, conflicts, and misunderstandings. School administrators should be careful about gossips in the workplace, as it affects teachers and causes pessimistic behavior among them. Therefore, it is necessary to study this phenomenon in schools. Thus, the main purpose of the research is to investigate the effect of organizational stroke on teachers' organizational cynicism with the mediating role of organizational rumors.
Theoretical Framework
Cynicism is among the attitudinal variables that have recently been discussed as the background of unethical behavior (Moghaddam & Mahmoudi Meymand, 2018). Cynicism is an attitude of disillusionment with society and organizations and mistrust towards others, and this negative attitude has permeated many organizations and is the main reason for many undesirable and negative organizational consequences and one of the problematic issues in the workplace (Mehrabi & Estiri, 2014). Cynicism is classified into three types: emotional cynicism, cognitive cynicism, and behavioral cynicism. Emotional cynicism includes emotional reactions such as irritation, anger, tension and anxiety. When the origin of these feelings is management behavior, it affects the commitment and motivation of employees. When employees believe that deception and personal gain are common in the organization, they feel cognitive cynicism. For example, cognitive mistrust is created when employees believe that the organization does not value their contribution and does not pay attention to them. Behavioral cynicism appears in the negative behaviors of employees; behaviors such as criticizing the organization, sarcastic jokes, suspicious interpretations of the organization's events, and pessimistic predictions of the organization's future indicate behavioral skepticism (Mete, 2013).
Communication is one of the most important elements of the management process. The existence of effective and correct communication in the organization is always considered one of the important components in the success of management. It has been proved by experience that if correct communication is not established in the organization, the flow of affairs is disrupted and things become chaotic (Nasiri Valik Bani, 2017). In a kind of metaphorical view of the organization and management, effective communication has been likened to the "heart of management" through which information is transferred throughout the organization and feeds the cells of the organization, i.e. human resources. If the heart of management, i.e. effective communication, cannot deliver the flow of information correctly to the departments and members of the organization, the performance of that department or member will be disrupted and an organizational stroke will occur (Mottaghi & Asghari Sarem, 2013). The antecedents of organizational stroke include lack of openness, lack of consensus, lack of support, lack of individual similarity, negativity, lack of education, lack of skills; and its consequences include structural damage, psychological damage, behavioral damage, and social damage (Shajari, Asghari, Sarem & Samadi, 2021b).
Rumor is a possible social phenomenon, and gossiping is a favorite activity for people in society, so that people volunteer to spread rumors with a significant frequency, and 65-90% of their conversations are related to rumors (Beersma & Van Kleef, 2011). Although experts have divided rumors into two types; positive and negative (Babaei Aghbolagh & Sattari Ardabili, 2018), many psychology and organizational behavior researchers consider rumors to have a negative function and organizational rumors to be a type of organizational disease (organizational syndrome) which is an inhibiting factor for advancing organizational goals and reduces the productivity of human resources (Khanifar et al., 2011).
Research methodology
The research method is descriptive-correlative in nature, and applicable in terms of purpose. The statistical population of the study consisted of 476 primary teachers in Konarak (Sistan and Baluchestan province) in the academic year 2021-2022. Based on Cochran's sampling formula and stratified random sampling (according to gender), 213 teachers were selected as samples. Questionnaires of organizational stroke (Farajvand & Mesri, 2021), organizational rumor (Dağli & Han, 2018) and organizational suspicion (Kalagan et al., 2009) were used. Also, correlation coefficient and structural equation model were used for data analysis using SPSS21 and Smart PLS software.
Research Findings

The first finding showed that organizational stroke has a positive and significant effect on organizational cynicism (β=0.21, t=2.03).
The second finding showed that organizational stroke has a positive and significant effect on organizational rumors (β=0.54, t=9.53).
The third finding showed that organizational rumors have a positive and significant effect on organizational cynicism (β=0.32, t=9.53).
The fourth finding showed that organizational stroke has a positive and significant effect on organizational cynicism through the mediation of organizational rumors (β=0.172, t=4.62).

Conclusion
Overall, the findings of this study showed that organizational stroke has a positive and significant effect on teachers' organizational suspicion with the mediating role of organizational rumors. Therefore, it is suggested that the managers of educational centers should promote and encourage the establishment of correct and effective organizational communication for their teachers, create organizational structures that accelerate organizational communication, and eliminate any slowness and confusion in communication in order to prevent the organizational stroke phenomenon from occurring. The management of the organization must design effective communication channels in the organization so that communication and information are faced with the least possible damage. Also, educational managers should reduce the spread of organizational rumors and organizational suspicion of teachers towards the school and the education organization through strengthening the norms of feeling useful and productive and giving identity to teachers and stimulating them to participate more in various meetings and ceremonies in order to develop social networks of the organization, create higher trust between teachers and the management of the educational organization through establishing open communication and transparent, correct information and dissemination of good and bad news of the organization, continuous participation of teachers with senior managers and clear and transparent accountability of senior managers, transparent and objective assessment of performance. Finally, since informal networks and interest groups influence the spread of rumors and mistrust among teachers, it is suggested to the managers of educational centers to use them for the benefit of the interests and goals of the organization by infiltrating these groups. This research has limitations. Since this study was conducted on elementary school teachers of Konarak city (Sistan and Baluchistan province); generalizing the results to other teachers must be conducted cautiously. Therefore, it is suggested to conduct such a study on the teachers of other cities. Also, since the research method was quantitative, it is suggested to other researchers to conduct such studies in a qualitative or mixed method.