From authentic leadership to knowledge sharing and knowledge worker retention: mediating role of psychological empowerment

This study explores how leaders can reduce employees’ intention to quit and stimulate knowledge sharing in knowledge-based companies. Grounded in intrinsic motivation theory, it investigates the impact of authentic leadership on these outcomes, analyzing the mediating role of psychological empowerment. We tested the hypotheses in a sample of 123 professionals from a large private company operating in Brazil’s digital communication sector, employing structural equation modelling with Bayesian estimation. Results show that authentic leadership decreases the intention to quit and increases knowledge sharing. Additionallly, psychological empowerment fully mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and follower knowledge sharing but does not affect the intention to quit. This study highlights the role of positive forms of leadership in leveraging knowledge management and the importance of psychological empowerment as a critical mechanism through which authentic leaders promote knowledge sharing. Lastly, it underscores the association between authentic leadership and decreased turnover intention among knowledge workers.