Abstract

The focus of this research study is to investigate how workplace ostracism influenced employee task performance, as mediated by knowledge sharing. Workplace ostracism may make it hard to engage with one another and limit opportunities for social interaction which may have an impact on how well coworkers share knowledge and how well they carry out the necessary result. The study is purely applied. The study's technique also aids in providing the actual picture of workplace ostracism and how it impacts employee task performance with the mediation of knowledge sharing. Employees selected from IT sector organizations in Pakistan's Karachi are the study's target respondents. The population is to be around 400 participants. This research's main focus is to broaden the literature by understanding the influence of knowledge sharing mediated the relationships between workplace ostracism and task performance.

Key Words

Workplace Ostracism, Knowledge Sharing, Task Performance, IT Industry

Introduction

Ostracism seems pervasive within nearly every component of society, including the workplace. Organizations depend on the interpersonal relationships between their workers to operate efficiently and effectively (Wang et al., 2023). Social interactions within individuals in the organization have now become essential parts of organizational outcomes as employment has grown more interrelated as well as the prevalence of collaboration has risen in organizations (Koay & Poon, 2022). Employee social ties are important for individual performance since they give employees a wide range of job-related data and feedback along with emotional and psychological support moreover, Interactions between people in the organization are becoming critical components influencing individual and organizational performance since the workplace is gotten progressively interrelated and cooperation has evolved into more prevalent (Dash et al., 2023). It's possible to experience unnoticed, alienated, or forgotten by several other individuals or groups in different areas of social contexts, including the workplace. Such situations are usually described as "ostracism." Ostracism situations sometimes seem negligible, especially in a professional context. 

All environmental stresses and various inconveniences one might encounter on a frequent basis? Nevertheless, prior studies have proven that just being ostracized could be a miserable experience; psychological social suffering caused by being ostracized was connected to physical harm (Albana & Ye?ilta?, 2022). Ostracism can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including silent treatment, avoidance of interaction, alienation, and expulsion. Ostracism can be intentional when employees are conscious of their incapacity to engage and communicate with the other person Individuals do this along with the objective of causing damage towards the intended receiver or contributing to the isolation process. Contrarily, ostracism may not always be intentional or intended as a kind of punishment because occasionally, people may pass someone by when they are overly preoccupied with their own activities. I unknowingly ignore their teammates and their behaviours. Furthermore, those who are unaware of the social exclusivity of their acts may ostracize others without intending to (Khokhar, Zia, et al., 2022). Considering those adverse effects, workplace ostracism is obtaining attention from researchers, and multiple studies have shown that this is an important component hindering employee task performance. This research's main focus is to broaden the literature by understanding "The influence of knowledge sharing mediated the relationships between workplace ostracism and task performance".

Workplace ostracism has been highlighted as a severe concern. According to several surveys, the majority of members of an organization are either excluded in organization group meetings or even excluded from others. According to the findings, 13% of questioned respondents were neglected or excluded for more than a 6-month period (Irshad et al., 2019). In accordance with the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, 66% of workers have encountered ostracism at the company. According to the researcher, Workplace ostracism seems to have a potentially adverse influence on employees' psychological, cognitive, as well as behavioural reactions. (Bhatti et al., 2022) Furthermore, According to the other analysis, throughout the period of five years, 66 per cent of respondents experienced Ostracism in the workplace in the form of indifferences between the employees, whereas 28.7% said colleagues had purposely departed the office before they arrived.

Organizations depend on social ties between employees to function efficiently. As work has become more interconnected and teamwork has become more frequent, interactions between members of an organization have become key parts of personal and organizational efficiency. Organizational literature has described workplace ostracism since the 1970s. Ostracism has, however, been seen as a part of more significant issues, like workplace deviance (Begum Siddiqui et al., 2023). According to (AKÇAY & KAY??, 2023) the topic of workplace mistreatment rose to prominence in organizational studies over the past ten years. Workplace ostracism is an example of this type of workplace mistreatment that has gained recognition in recent management literature. WO happens when an individual or perhaps a team refuses to interact with other members of the organization when it becomes culturally acceptable to do so. Employee productivity to fulfil performance standards might be affected by workplace ostracism. As per COR theory, poor working environments reduce employee task performance by motivating employees to conserve their resources. 

According to (Khokhar, Iqbal, et al., 2020) Employees'  performance at the workplace suffers as a result of WO. In the long run, these consequences not only harm the organization's effectiveness but also harm its reputation in the employment market. There is also a concern for "excused neglectful behaviour," which represents an exploitative limitation inside the organization formed by ostracism. workforce who are ostracized but are not severely impacted by it do not achieve according to requirements and when confronted with their work performance use the rational explanation that they are not given notice or facilitated, thus turning themselves from convict to innocent, and proceeding their substandard performance. (Y. Zhao et al., 2020) Interaction decomposes when an individual or a team is ostracized by their coworkers. This could result in deterioration in interaction, inhibiting KS throughout the company. This information bubble is a major contributor to performance deterioration.

The researcher's purpose is to understand how workplace ostracism significantly influences task performance as mediated through knowledge sharing. Therefore, the study was intended to add to the existing literature by studying the mediating role of KS between WO and task performance. The research will be structured as follows: First, we'll go over prior theoretical contributions on KS and impacts on WO and employee task performance; second, we will describe and discuss the findings. At the conclusion, theoretical and practical ramifications will be discussed. This research aims to examine the influence of Knowledge sharing mediating the influence of a work KS on WO and employee task performance. Since ostracized individuals lack access to knowledge resources, their task performance may decrease as a result of their limited resources. In other words, the negative impact of workplace ostracism on job performance should be indicated through knowledge sharing (Hailiang et al., 2023). This research aims to determine and empirically test above mentioned variables in one model and secondly, the research will specifically focus on the IT sector of Pakistan.

The study will be meaningful and relevant in a number of different ways. Firstly, this research will focus on Pakistan's IT industry in Karachi. By demonstrating the impact of WO on task performance mediated by variable KS in IT sector firms operating in Karachi. Additionally, this research aims to understand and empirically test whether KS mediates the relationship between WO and the task performance of employees. Employee task performance has gone a long way. However, for many employees, the workplace remains a place of career opportunities, knowledge sharing and building relationships. Fear of feeling left out due to workplace ostracism arising which impacts the task performance of employees at work. This is an applied study that includes the employees working in the IT sectors. It includes different levels of employees. It is quantitative paradigm survey research. As a result, the population is estimated to be 400.

Literature Review

WO describes the phenomenon wherein employees overlook teammates' comments during discussions, neglect to reciprocate greetings or best regards or decline an invitation to lunch. Ostracism is a form of interpersonal isolation that incorporates being avoided or neglected by others.(Khokhar, Devi, et al., 2022) In actuality, social engagement among people is decreased by ostracism and Ostracism at work has a negative impact on individuals. Moreover, Ostracism can have adverse effects on one's sentiments, such as anger or uneasiness, isolation, a loss of involvement in group work, anxiety and depression, sadness, and low self-esteem. It can also result in a reduction in work engagement and organizational citizenship behaviour. Ostracism inhibits interaction and reduces people's tendency to create teamwork. Ostracism, on the other hand, weakens the supportive and friendly connections among employees. (H. Zhao et al., 2016) moreover, when fellow employees neglect employee input in team meetings or task discussion shows an individual being ostracized Also, workplace ostracism is just not restricted to one group within an institution; an individual may face ostracism from coworkers, supervisors, senior management, or customers. 

The view of workplace ostracism seems to be different for different people; for instance, being declined an invitation to dinner could well be considered a gesture of ostracism through one individual although not by another, and thirdly, interpersonal interactions, whenever an individual is ostracized, may be described Classified as harsh, harmful, and unpleasant. Ostracism at the workplace is generally commonly acknowledged as being both physically and psychologically exhausting, which might also hinder employee engagement and employee activities, undermine employees ' commitment, and lower performance levels (Hou et al., 2023).

The exclusion of sociologically interactive actions that are regarded as socially suitable inside the specific context is a major element of ostracism. This section of the definition implies that not everyone in a given social environment will agree on what constitutes appropriate behaviour. It is possible for ostracism to occur within a department, team, or overall organization when there are divergent views on what constitutes socially acceptable behaviour in relation to social involvement. Furthermore, Ostracism in the place of work can be divided into two categories based on the motives: purposeful and non-purposeful. Which varies depending on whether the individual intends to abuse, seek revenge on, or condemn the objective. It is suggested that the individuals' perception of ostracism, the availability of few alternative mechanisms, and disagreements regarding social propriety can result in ostracism.

Considering the Conservation of resources theory (COR), resources are significant to individuals (Hou et al., 2022). Furthermore, humans appreciate resources, therefore employees work hard to preserve and maintain them. According to the study, including personal and professional resources, such as teammate encouragement and self-esteem help employees be more efficient at work. Personal resources give individuals a feeling of control over their surroundings and psychological strength in the face of adversity. The primary factor connecting workplace Ostracism and employee performance is an absence of resources. Particularly, workplace ostracism might limit workers' productivity due to the scarcity of resources (Khaskhelly et al., 2022) If employees who work in organizations are prohibited from receiving knowledge, assistance, and functional support. According to studies, ostracized people are more Most probable to be omitted from the task resource loop at the workplace, making it difficult for them to maintain positive job-related outputs.

Table 1

Summary of Literature Review

Construct	Definition	Source
Workplace Ostracism	“the extent to which an individual perceives that he or she is ignored or excluded by others at work”	(Ahmed et al., 2022), (Y. Zhao et al., 2020)
Knowledge Sharing	“A process where individuals mutually exchange their knowledge to create new knowledge.”	(Waseem et al., 2022),(Bhatti et al., 2022)
Task Performance	“proficiency with which individuals perform the core substantive or technical tasks central to his or her job”	(HOU et al., 2021), (Albana & Ye?ilta?, 2022)

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1

Conceptual Framework

1. H1: Workplace ostracism has an impact on employee Knowledge sharing.

2. H2: workplace ostracism  has an impact on employee task performance in IT sector firms in Karachi

3. H3: Knowledge sharing has an impact on employee task performance in IT sector firms in Karachi.

4. H3: Workplace ostracism has an impact on employee task Performance mediated by knowledge sharing.

Methodology

This study examines how the study was performed, along with the approach, technique, and design. It addresses this by explaining the research design, data collection techniques, data sources, and method of data analysis, as well as offering a framework or guidelines for the study to arrive at the findings and conclusions. Using a deductive framework and testable hypotheses, positivists conduct research that shows a cause-and-effect relationship based on previous findings. Reasoning, logic, and empiricism are characteristics of positivism. Lastly, the core of positivist philosophy is focused on factual numbers that are empirically calculated by quantifiable statistical programs using a quantitative research approach. The analysis strategy is quantitative and, in general, deductive. It follows the cause-and-effect method, which is based on objectivity. The study shows how independent variables influence dependent variables. 

This research strategy is entirely based on hypothesis testing and approving or dismissing the results. To acquire scientific evidence, a well-designed questionnaire with a 5- point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree is used. This particular study is carried out in order to discover answers to research questions by empirical testing of given hypotheses linked to task performance of employees in IT sector firms in Pakistan, Karachi. The research is quantitative in nature i.e. it is more close to and gives precise results. Lastly, with the help of a self-structured questionnaire primary data is gathered. Among the pool of various strategies, the survey is considered to be the most effective strategy for data gathering. To correctly measure the hypothesized construct the strategy of survey is viewed as the most suitable, commonly used and rational method.

According to (Yumei Hou, 2020) this research technique clarifies the quantitative data in an easy way. To gather data the researcher opted for the option of a self-administered survey. The settings that were tapped for survey responses are IT sector firms in Pakistan and Karachi. The participants of the survey will be treated as individual units of analysis because every participant was seen as an individual source provider for the collection of data. Employees will be asked to answer assessments of WO, KS, demographics and task performance. In this voluntary study, all participants received assurances about the confidentiality of their answers. Research population refers to a particular set of individuals, components and events that are considered as a part of the research study. The target populations of this research study are employees chosen from IT sector firms in Pakistan, and Karachi. For better authenticity and generalizability, the data is gathered in the absence of favouritism and biasedness. 

To reduce the number of tasks required in the data collection process, a sample of the population was chosen to be used to make population conclusions. This is a non-probability sampling, and the sample is acquired by using the Purposive convenience sampling technique. Purposive sampling entails selecting persons or elements based on certain features or attributes and eliminating those who do not fulfil these criteria. The right persons are reached when a sample is drawn based on the sort of information requested. Staff selection, on the other hand, was carried out using a convenience sample method. The selection of respondents for this survey is based on their availability and willingness to take part. The size of the population in this research study comprises 400 participants considering both genders in the presence of a 95 per cent interval and 5 per cent error margin. Employees working in IT sector firms are the subjects of the research study. Additionally, through the use of guidelines by (Khokhar, Hou, et al., 2020), a former analysis is carried out for the selection of an appropriate research sample size.

Table 2

Summary of Research Instrument

Variable	No. of items	Scale
Workplace Ostracism	10	Likert
Knowledge Sharing	4	Likert
Task Performance	5	Likert





We will gather data through questionnaires from the respondents' surveys would be used to test hypotheses. Employees will be asked to answer assessments of WO, KS, demographics and task performance evaluations. The questionnaire will be based on Likert Scale. The data collected will be assembled in a spreadsheet and will be processed further to perform statistical analysis. The data analysis is one of the crucial parts of the study, as it analyzes the data obtained and arrived at the data findings. For this study data analysis is formed through PSL software. These tests were used to evaluate variables and to show the result of each independent variable on the dependent variable.

Results and Discussions

KS is a networking process through which individuals share their expertise. Ideas, strategies, and perspectives through discussions in order to raise the value of knowledge, which can assist in the improvement of the performance of the organization as well as the growth and maintaining a competitive edge. The process of KS is introduced as a methodical way for people in a group or organization working toward the same goal to share knowledge and experiences. Moreover, when one corporation displays characteristics like truthfulness, acceptance, open-mindedness to sharing knowledge, and endorse willingness, knowledge sharing is motivated. The two processes that compose Knowledge sharing are associated with acquiring knowledge and knowledge transfer. Sharing of knowledge is based on four main aspects. The approach concentrates on the type of knowledge, including internal and external knowledge, as well as the source of knowledge, both internally acquired and external knowledge centred on the network. 

These four paradigms do not adequately define the tasks of knowledge sharing. Knowledge acquiring happens when employees often ask their coworkers for advice, which inspires others to share their knowledge resources. The concept of knowledge sharing can take place whether explicitly, through thorough conversational interaction, or implicitly, even though the receiver is unable to describe the gained information. When people successfully engage their unique knowledge resources with coworkers, knowledge transfer occurs. Previous research has shown that a range of variables, including personal attributes, Interpersonal and team dynamics, cultural features, institutional attributes, and motivational variables are all factors that can affect knowledge-sharing behaviour. Individual knowledge is divided into two types: tacit and explicit knowledge. 

The explicit information can be easily transmitted in formal writing (for example, job specifications or institutional norms), but tacit knowledge is transferred through individual socialization. Employees are the primary component of organizational information and knowledge. During key job operations, highly knowledgeable people create, identify, and collect new information. Organizational effectiveness is based on the cross-utilization of critical knowledge, although sharing knowledge may be an uncomfortable situation for members of an organization. As a result, it is becoming deeply vital that knowledge sharing thrives in an organisational environment that encourages cooperation and the transmission of innovative ideas and facts.

Employee task performance can be influenced by a wide range of factors. Varying from intrinsic to extrinsic. This is the most unstable variable in HRM because of its responsiveness to other factors in each analysis. Employees can perform better when they are given accountability and confidence. Individuals can also demonstrate a willingness to complete tasks that appears to be slightly outside the scope of their work responsibilities. This occurs because businesses empower and appreciate their staff, which is a wonderful thing in today's job environment. (Khokhar, 2019) Supervisor support improves worker task performance, and effective training can improve employee task performance. 

The perspective and competence of leaders have a significant impact on an employee's task performance. (Begum Siddiqui et al., 2023)(Nawaz et al., n.d.) Since organisational performance is essential for employee performance, employers ensure the safety of their high-performing employees and listen to their opinions and behaviours. Furthermore, knowledgeable employee task performance has been connected with good consumer perception of quality service, whereas bad employee performance has been connected with complaints from customers and product preference. Employee performance also serves as a gauge of an employee's readiness to carry out the duties that the organization intends for them. Assessment centres must be undertaken yearly, semiannually, and quarterly in order to assess employee task performance and, in response, evaluate organizational productivity that will enable us to understand any performance concerns. Employee performance measurements frequently include output quantity, output quality, output timeliness, presence at work, and cooperativeness. Knowledge sharing is an important social resource for firms since it increases job performance and organizational effectiveness.

Workplace ostracism and knowledge sharing have an inverse correlation. Ostracism is commonly understood to have detrimental consequences on one's physical and mental well-being, as well as one's personal capacity to function competently at work, take part in organizational citizenship behaviour, and function effectively. Employees' interpersonal counterproductive behaviour was observed to be substantially related to workplace ostracism. It can be mentioned that the greater the degree of workplace ostracism, the fewer the probability of sharing knowledge with employees within the firm. Consequently, it is easy to anticipate that knowledge sharing will not grow considerably alongside unpleasant interpersonal interaction. Furthermore, one of the reasons employees miss out on information exchange is workplace ostracism. Ostracized employees are kept out of the loop and might be uninformed of or lack access to task-specific knowledge, abilities or suggestions derived simply from support networks. Ostracism "limits" an individual's social connections to other members of the organization, which involves the exchange of knowledge and essential resources reflected in such linkages. 

The ability of individuals to obtain or retain knowledge resources is also affected by workplace ostracism. For instance, being ostracized from Social groups may affect rational and reasoning skills. (Nawaz Baloch et al., 2021) According to studies, ostracized personnel are less likely to engage in legitimate or productive activities. As a result, ostracism undermines teamwork and diminishes individuals' inclination to establish work groups. Employee ostracism, on the contrary side, reduces pleasant and productive interactions. Similarly; research has discovered that one of the driving elements of knowledge sharing is the "need for group identity," which refers to a person's intention to join a group.

KS typically refers to the exchange of information within both individuals, as well as across levels of hierarchy among diverse organizational employees. The prime objective of knowledge sharing with employees of the organization is to share knowledge regarding institutional goods and facilities. (Muhammad et al., 2020) Sharing knowledge is crucial because it enables knowledge to expand. Be distributed as the company accumulated understanding, allowing the company to make efficient and successful use of its available resources. Moreover, Employees' behaviours while completing respective tasks, and satisfying the organizational objective, constitute achievement. Knowledge acquisition and retention had a favourable influence on the distribution and application of acquired knowledge, which promoted work performance. Sharing important knowledge improves individual job performance as measured by quality, familiarity with work, the number of manager praises, the number of complaints filed, and problem-solving competence.

Furthermore, organization KS is critical for improving employee job performance in addition to organizational effectiveness. Employees have access to knowledge assets and can develop the competencies required for work performance when knowledge is shared. Thus, knowledge exchange is advantageous for improving employee job performance. There are two different kinds of employee knowledge: tacit and explicit knowledge. Explicit information is easily given through formal contexts (for instance, job specification or institutional practices), but tacit knowledge is transmitted through individual socialization. Knowledge sharing offers a framework for individuals to gather resources, particularly tacit knowledge, in an attempt to optimize task performance. However, encouraging knowledge sharing at work is difficult and necessitates a suitable organizational and interpersonal setting. Several studies have found that Organizational climate, company policies, and leadership style are all critical indicators of knowledge sharing.

Individuals might gain benefits through knowledge sharing in regard to completing duties, finding solutions, and accomplishing objectives. In particular, Teammates can provide the resources involving sharing of knowledge, capabilities, and competence, which might also benefit the main employee in achieving the desired objectives. Moreover, a stronger utilization of existing information, better judgment, and enhanced accuracy of assessments are all outcomes of more knowledge sharing, which improves task performance. Inversely, an absence of social interactions and also the associated knowledge resources, whether or not employees are fully aware that they are intentionally ostracized, may result in worse employee performance. Various empirical findings support the idea that sharing knowledge among coworkers improves core employees' task performance. According to the COR theory, workplace ostracism reduces individuals' knowledge resources that are required to accomplish centrally important objectives. Furthermore, workplace ostracism may constrict an individual's perceptual field and inhibit the worker from acquiring other resources. When individuals are restricted from social engagements, individuals lack task-relevant resources for achieving job requirements, which hinders employee progression that eventually results in a lower quality of task performance.

Conclusion

This research aims to examine the influence of Knowledge sharing mediating the influence of a work KS on WO and employee task performance. Since ostracized individuals lack access to knowledge resources, their task performance may decrease as a result of their limited resources. This research aims to determine and empirically test above mentioned variables in one model and secondly, the research will specifically focus on the IT sector of Pakistan. This research aims to examine the influence of Knowledge sharing mediating the influence of a work KS on WO and employee task performance. Since ostracized individuals lack access to knowledge resources, their task performance may decrease as a result of their limited resources. This research aims to determine and empirically test above mentioned variables in one model and secondly, the research will specifically focus on the IT sector of Pakistan. The study will be meaningful and relevant in a number of different ways. Firstly, this research will focus on Pakistan's IT industry in Karachi. By demonstrating the impact of WO on task performance mediated by variable KS in IT sector firms operating in Karachi. Additionally, this research aims to understand and empirically test whether KS mediates the relationship between WO and the task performance of employees.

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