Sustaining the equality of employee voice: a dynamic capability
International Journal of Organizational Analysis
ISSN: 1934-8835
Article publication date: 12 October 2010
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to addresses the ethically and strategically important question: “How can managers sustain the equality of employee voice in a dynamic environment?”.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the above question, this paper conceptually integrates two theoretical streams that are prominent in their respective traditions: Amartya Sen's capabilities approach (SCA) in the economics and ethics literature and the dynamic capabilities approach (DCA) in strategic management.
Findings
Adapting SCA, this paper conceptualizes “voice” as employees' “capability” or “freedom” to achieve what they morally “value” in an organization, and “justice” as the equality of employee voice. Following DCA, it outlines a framework for “dynamic capability” (“voice management capability”) building by managers. It describes the processes by which executives leverage their knowledge to find new ways of creating equality in employee voice and continually remedy inequities in a changing environment. The creation of paths during the discovery of such processes and the subsequent path dependence can influence the persistence of employee voice equality.
Originality/value
The paper is unique in that it extends Sen's notion of “equality of individual capabilities” to employee voice. Although SCA overcomes several flaws in the competing ethics theories, it remains seriously underexplored in organizational analysis. DCA is valuable in explaining how the equality in employee voice can be sustained over time. The equality of employee voice is important not only because of its moral implications but also because of its potential desirable consequences (e.g. employee trust, commitment, and loyalty).
Keywords
Citation
Kulkarni, S.P. (2010), "Sustaining the equality of employee voice: a dynamic capability", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 442-465. https://doi.org/10.1108/19348831011081903
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited