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Forgiveness as a catalyst for knowledge sharing: overcoming the effects of abusive supervision on relational attachment

Forgiveness as a catalyst for knowledge sharing: overcoming the effects of abusive supervision on relational attachment
Forgiveness as a catalyst for knowledge sharing: overcoming the effects of abusive supervision on relational attachment

Knowledge sharing has assumed special importance in modern knowledge-based economy. Extant research pertaining to knowledge sharing primarily focused on antecedents that encourage knowledge sharing with scant attention to its barriers. Drawing on attachment theory, we proposed and tested a moderated mediation model in which forgiveness climate moderates the indirect relationship between abusive supervision and knowledge sharing via relational attachment with their supervisor. Analyses from STUDY 1 revealed that the negative relationship between abusive supervision and employees’ relational attachment with their supervisor was moderated by forgiveness climate such that the relationship is weaker when forgiveness climate is higher. Based on this, the results of STUDY 2 revealed that: (1) Abusive supervision affects knowledge sharing through the mediating role of relational attachment with supervisor; (2) Forgiveness climate further moderated the indirect effect of abusive supervision on knowledge sharing through employees’ relational attachment with their supervisor such that the indirect relationship was weakened when forgiveness climate is high rather than low. Theoretical and practical implications and future directions are discussed.

Abusive supervision, Forgiveness climate, Knowledge sharing, Relational attachment with supervisor
0148-2963
Shen, Yimo
09b1ee89-5022-491c-9da5-1224b58b0590
Yang, Bin
4ba4d94d-6684-4160-a496-083fec9c3f8a
Zhang, Yucheng
3a7eb0ef-8c03-419f-abdf-4f11f9d097ea
Shi, Junqi
540d91ad-9a97-4303-9820-385884f448ab
Shen, Yimo
09b1ee89-5022-491c-9da5-1224b58b0590
Yang, Bin
4ba4d94d-6684-4160-a496-083fec9c3f8a
Zhang, Yucheng
3a7eb0ef-8c03-419f-abdf-4f11f9d097ea
Shi, Junqi
540d91ad-9a97-4303-9820-385884f448ab

Shen, Yimo, Yang, Bin, Zhang, Yucheng and Shi, Junqi (2025) Forgiveness as a catalyst for knowledge sharing: overcoming the effects of abusive supervision on relational attachment. Journal of Business Research, 200, [115625]. (doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115625).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Knowledge sharing has assumed special importance in modern knowledge-based economy. Extant research pertaining to knowledge sharing primarily focused on antecedents that encourage knowledge sharing with scant attention to its barriers. Drawing on attachment theory, we proposed and tested a moderated mediation model in which forgiveness climate moderates the indirect relationship between abusive supervision and knowledge sharing via relational attachment with their supervisor. Analyses from STUDY 1 revealed that the negative relationship between abusive supervision and employees’ relational attachment with their supervisor was moderated by forgiveness climate such that the relationship is weaker when forgiveness climate is higher. Based on this, the results of STUDY 2 revealed that: (1) Abusive supervision affects knowledge sharing through the mediating role of relational attachment with supervisor; (2) Forgiveness climate further moderated the indirect effect of abusive supervision on knowledge sharing through employees’ relational attachment with their supervisor such that the indirect relationship was weakened when forgiveness climate is high rather than low. Theoretical and practical implications and future directions are discussed.

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Forgiveness as a Catalyst for Knowledge Sharing: Overcoming the Effects of Abusive Supervision on Relational Attachment - Accepted Manuscript
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Forgiveness as a catalyst for knowledge sharing: overcoming the effects of abusive supervision on relational attachment - Version of Record
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 17 July 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 July 2025
Published date: 30 July 2025
Additional Information: Publisher Copyright: © 2025 Elsevier Inc.
Keywords: Abusive supervision, Forgiveness climate, Knowledge sharing, Relational attachment with supervisor

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 508355
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/508355
ISSN: 0148-2963
PURE UUID: 4e26f5eb-3c7b-44cf-ac99-2b8d7bfe8536
ORCID for Yucheng Zhang: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9435-6734

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Jan 2026 18:02
Last modified: 20 Jan 2026 03:06

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Contributors

Author: Yimo Shen
Author: Bin Yang
Author: Yucheng Zhang ORCID iD
Author: Junqi Shi

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