Abstract
This dissertation in practice examined women’s lived experiences regarding their perceptions of knowledge hoarding in team-based work structures in the health services industry's information technology (IT) sector. A qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was conducted to elicit interpretations of the lived experiences of women participants working in information technology teams in two health services organizations. Interpretive phenomenological analysis sought to elicit the manifestations of the researched phenomenon through dialogue with the women experiencing the phenomenon. Semistructured interviews were conducted with five participants. Three themes discerned from the data collected included Changes in Perception of Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem Due to Knowledge Hoarding in Information Technology Teams, Manifestations of Conflict Between Elements of the Organizational Environment, Team Members, and Organizational Leadership, and Differences in Collaborative Interaction in Information Technology Teams Based on Gender Preferences. Based on the data, the proposed solution was presented in three recommendations: A Women’s Mentoring Program, a Conflict Resolution Program, and a Knowledge-Oriented Leadership Training Program.
Keywords: Health services industry, knowledge hoarding, interpretive phenomenological analysis, purposeful sampling, semistructured interviews, self-efficacy, self-esteem, knowledge-oriented leadership