Rob over at Business Pundit posted about some interesting research being presented this week at the annual conference at The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 

Catherine Connelly, assistant professor of human resources & management at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, has found that employees often protect their knowledge and will even take steps to hide it from co-workers.

Connelly says that people engage in knowledge hiding for the following reasons:

• They feel that an injustice has been done to them
• They are distrustful of co-workers or management
• They are retaliating against someone else's behavior toward them
• The organizational climate encourages secrecy, not sharing
• They can get away with it

The reluctance to share is contagious and produces a culture of strained relationships, and decreased productivity. It's obviously bad for business, and, if you're guilty as charged, bad for your career as well. 

When you talk openly about what you know, you're not just doing so out of the kindness of your heart.  There are tangible benefits as well.  When you talk about projects with co-workers, you might get additional ideas or angles on a problem you probably wouldn't have thought of otherwise - ideas that will make your result stronger and make you look better to your supervisors in the end.  Also, sharing information enhances your reputation as a team player, which translates into career perks like positive performance reviews, promotions, and raises.  So next time you learn something that will help the organization or a co-worker, speak up.  It can only help you.