Gratitude for good deeds: how does socially responsible human resource management enhance employees’ knowledge sharing?

Although scholars have increasingly focused on the influence of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) practices on employee outcomes, understanding how SRHRM practices drive employees’ knowledge sharing remains limited. Drawing on the affect theory of social exchange, this study examines how and when SRHRM practices enhance knowledge sharing. Study 1, a scenario-based experiment (N = 240), shows that cooperative goal interdependence strengthens the positive relationship between SRHRM practices and employee gratitude, whereas competitive goal interdependence weakens the relationship. Study 2, using multi-source data from 316 employee-coworker dyads, finds that SRHRM increases knowledge sharing via employee gratitude. Furthermore, cooperative goal interdependence (but not competitive goal interdependence) reinforces both the positive effect of SRHRM on employee gratitude and its indirect effect on knowledge sharing. These findings highlight the critical role of goal structures in shaping the impact of SRHRM and provide insights for organizations seeking to enhance knowledge sharing.