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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 20 October 2023

Rickard Andersson, Mats Heide and Charlotte Simonsson

This article aims to (1) increase the knowledge of how coworkers experience voicing the organization on external social media and (2) deepen and nuance the knowledge of the…

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to (1) increase the knowledge of how coworkers experience voicing the organization on external social media and (2) deepen and nuance the knowledge of the sources of voice control involved in such communication processes. The study helps understand coworker voicing on social media as situated identity expressions through which coworkers negotiate and contest the organizational identity, thereby co-constituting a polyphonic organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws upon a constitutive perspective on communication and a communication-centered perspective on identity and organizational identification to investigate the voicing of organizational members of the Swedish Police Force on social media. The article is based on a qualitative study where interviews with police officers and communication professionals at the Swedish Police Authority constitute the main empirical material. A content analysis of selected social media accounts provided important background information to the interviews and enriched the understanding of coworker voice.

Findings

This analysis shows that coworkers voice the organization differently. Furthermore, the study of how coworkers experience this voicing indicates that these variations in how coworkers voice the organization depend on how strongly they identify or disidentify with organizational identity and image expressions voiced by significant others. Based on the analysis, this study presents four voice positions highlighting coworkers' varying degrees of identification/disidentification when voicing their organization on social media and reflecting upon their experiences of voicing. Furthermore, the analysis also demonstrates four sources of voice control: (1) management, (2) colleagues, (3) significant non-members and (4) the status and position of the coworker's voice. These four sources of voice control influence coworkers' voices on social media.

Practical implications

This study also contributes with practical implications, for example that the traditional idea of monophonic organizations must be revised and also embrace a polyphonic, bottom-up approach to strengthening internal trust and organizational identity. This comes naturally with the price of less control and predictability by management but with the benefits of increased coworker engagement and pride.

Originality/value

This study contributes new knowledge and a nuanced understanding of coworker voice on social media and the sources of control that influence coworkers' voices.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2018

Yongzheng Qu, Wen Wu, Fangcheng Tang, Haijian Si and Yuhuan Xia

The purpose of this study is to advance and test a new construct, harmony voice. Furthermore, according to the social influence theory, the relationship between zhongyong, an…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to advance and test a new construct, harmony voice. Furthermore, according to the social influence theory, the relationship between zhongyong, an essential Confucian orientation mode and voice behavior, and the moderating role of coworker’s regulatory focus (promotion focus and prevention focus) has been examined.

Design/methodology/approach

A field study has been designed to test our hypotheses. We used samples of 291 employee–coworker dyads from a variety of organizations in China to test this study’s hypotheses.

Findings

The results of this empirical study show that zhongyong is positively related to harmony voice. Coworkers’ promotion focus strengthens the positive effect of zhongyong on harmony voice, and coworkers’ prevention focus weakens the positive effect of zhongyong on harmony voice.

Research limitations/implications

Traditionally defined voice and harmony voice might cause different risks to the voicer. However, how and what kinds of risks may be differently caused by these two types of voice behaviors have not been examined in this study. Future empirical research can explore the different effects of traditionally defined voice and harmony voice.

Practical implications

Managers responsible for managing Chinese employees should notice the difference in some important ways of thinking between Easterners and Westerners. Specifically, zhongyong may direct people to express issues related to work in ways that are different from those of their Western counterparts. Harmony voice can benefit the Chinese organization without disrupting organizational development.

Social implications

By examining the relationship between zhongyong and harmony voice, we contribute to identifying antecedents of voice by using an emic research perspective.

Originality/value

We made significant theoretical contributions to voice literature. We developed the construct of harmony voice, and we examined the relationship between zhongyong and voice.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2018

Vibeke Thøis Madsen

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether internal social media (ISM) introduces a new kind of participatory communication within organizations that is capable of…

2622

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether internal social media (ISM) introduces a new kind of participatory communication within organizations that is capable of influencing and moving the organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on two exploratory studies: a multiple case study in ten Danish organizations, and a single case study in a Danish bank.

Findings

The paper finds that different types of communication on ISM develop in different types of organizations. Participatory communication capable of changing the organization only develops when coworkers perceive that they have a license to critique. The paper, therefore, proposes to distinguish between three different types of communication arenas created by ISM: a quiet arena, a knowledge-sharing arena and a participatory communication arena.

Research limitations/implications

The research is exploratory and based on two Danish case studies and the perceptions of coworkers and social media coordinators. A deeper, summative analysis of ISM across more and various organizations in multiple countries has to confirm the findings.

Originality/value

The paper conceptualizes ISM as an interactive and dynamic communication arena, and proposes that the participatory communication on ISM is a co-constructed process among coworkers, middle managers and top managers.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 November 2018

Sriji Edakkat Subhakaran and Lata Dyaram

Despite the increasing prominence of employee voice in organizational innovation and productivity, employees continue to struggle to influence matters that affect them at work…

1351

Abstract

Purpose

Despite the increasing prominence of employee voice in organizational innovation and productivity, employees continue to struggle to influence matters that affect them at work. The purpose of this paper is to model work group context and manager behavior as the predictors of employee upward voice. Further, a mediating role of employee psychological safety is examined in this link.

Design/methodology/approach

With data from 575 employees representing various technology firms in India, the authors test the hypothesized relationships using covariance-based structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results indicate coworkers upward voice and manager pro-voice behavior to significantly impact employee upward voice with a mediating impact of psychological safety. This implies that perceived psychological safety plays a significant role in explaining the impact, coworkers and manager behavior would have on regulating employee upward voice.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the employee voice literature from an Indian context, where upward communication is culturally discouraged.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 67 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 November 2023

Cheng-Chen Lin, Szu-Chi Lu, Fong-Yi Lai and Hsiao-Ling Chen

This study aims to examine the effects of coworker incivility on employees' behaviors using a moderated mediation model that conceptualizes coworker exchange (CWX) as a mediator…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of coworker incivility on employees' behaviors using a moderated mediation model that conceptualizes coworker exchange (CWX) as a mediator and servant leadership as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected using a multi-temporal research design. The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 1,272 participants using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), hierarchical regression analysis and moderated path analysis. In addition, supervisor incivility was added as a control variable to partial out the potential influence on employees' behaviors.

Findings

The results of CFA ensured that all measures had discriminant and convergent validity. In addition, the results of hierarchical regression analysis and moderated path analysis indicated that CWX mediates the relationship between coworker incivility and employees' behaviors. Furthermore, servant leadership exacerbates the negative relationship between coworker incivility and CWX.

Practical implications

Leaders and practitioners should invest in communication training programs for developing employees' communication skills to avoid incivility. In addition to viewing incivility as inappropriate behavior, leaders and practitioners should understand the meaning beyond those incivilities.

Originality/value

This study utilized incivility spiral theory to examine how coworker incivility affects employees' behaviors. The mediated path analysis found that CWX mediates the relationship between these variables, which has been ignored by previous research. Furthermore, this study introduced servant leadership as a moderator to account for the “when” in incivility spiral theory, i.e. what kind of social context facilitates or inhibits the influence of coworker incivility on CWX.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 38 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 24 July 2020

Soo-Hoon Lee, Thomas W. Lee and Phillip H. Phan

Workplace voice is well-established and encompasses behaviors such as prosocial voice, informal complaints, grievance filing, and whistleblowing, and it focuses on interactions…

Abstract

Workplace voice is well-established and encompasses behaviors such as prosocial voice, informal complaints, grievance filing, and whistleblowing, and it focuses on interactions between the employee and supervisor or the employee and the organizational collective. In contrast, our chapter focuses on employee prosocial advocacy voice (PAV), which the authors define as prosocial voice behaviors aimed at preventing harm or promoting constructive changes by advocating on behalf of others. In the context of a healthcare organization, low quality and unsafe patient care are salient and objectionable states in which voice can motivate actions on behalf of the patient to improve information exchanges, governance, and outreach activities for safer outcomes. The authors draw from the theory and research on responsibility to intersect with theories on information processing, accountability, and stakeholders that operate through voice between the employee-patient, employee-coworker, and employee-profession, respectively, to propose a model of PAV in patient-centered healthcare. The authors complete the model by suggesting intervening influences and barriers to PAV that may affect patient-centered outcomes.

Details

Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-076-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 January 2024

Hong Hu, Liying Chen and Yuxiang Zheng

This study aimed to explore the effects of the satisfaction of employees' need for autonomy, relatedness and competence on their voice behavior through the mediation of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to explore the effects of the satisfaction of employees' need for autonomy, relatedness and competence on their voice behavior through the mediation of self-efficacy for voice and perceived risk for voice.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical model is tested using survey data collected from 209 employees of information technology (IT) firms located in five major cities in China.

Findings

The study found that satisfaction of employees' need for autonomy, relatedness and competence facilitated their self-efficacy for voice and inhibited perceived risk for voice. Self-efficacy for voice was positively related to voice, whereas perceived risk for voice was negatively related to it. Perceived risk for voice hampered self-efficacy for voice.

Practical implications

The findings indicate that organizations can boost employees' voice behavior by making them feel that they have autonomy in their work, by helping them maintain good relationships with others in the workplace and by enabling their competence in accomplishing their job.

Originality/value

This study highlights that satisfying employees' psychological needs plays a pivotal role in facilitating their voice behavior. The authors provide new insights into the relationship between need satisfaction and voice behavior and into the mediating roles of self-efficacy for voice and perceived risk for voice.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 39 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 August 2024

Maribel Labrado-Antolín, Óscar Rodríguez-Ruiz and José Fernández-Menéndez

This paper studies the impact that perceived proximity and employee voice have on the affective well-being of employees working from home (WFH). Drawing on Wilson et al.'s (2008…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper studies the impact that perceived proximity and employee voice have on the affective well-being of employees working from home (WFH). Drawing on Wilson et al.'s (2008) model of perceived proximity in virtual work, we believe that effectiveness in the use of the enterprise social network (ESN), communication and workmate identification increase the perceived proximity of teleworkers. We also propose that employee voice and perceived proximity have in turn positive implications in terms of well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyzes a dataset of 542 professionals with experience in home-based telework. Structural equation modeling (SEM) has been used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

Results show that perceived proximity is significant and positively associated with affective well-being. Conversely, the expression of direct voice using electronic channels has a negative influence on the well-being of home-based teleworkers.

Originality/value

This study reveals the need to re-think the challenges of telework after the forced experiment of WFH provoked by the COVID-19 pandemics. Building on the “far-but-close” paradox, it emphasizes the role of workmate identification and communication and the perceived effectiveness of the ESN as sources of perceived proximity. At the same time, the paper adds to telework research by explaining how the expression of direct voice through electronic channels and indirect voice can have consequences in terms of well-being.

Details

Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-3983

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2024

Mary Kiura and Rebecca B. Leach

The study empirically explores employees' motives for engaging in constructive voice behaviors.

Abstract

Purpose

The study empirically explores employees' motives for engaging in constructive voice behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors utilized qualitative research methods. The data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with 26 workers in the renewable energy industry in Kenya. The data were analyzed using a phronetic iterative approach (Tracy, 2020).

Findings

The data revealed various motives that may drive constructive voice including, personal (e.g. material rewards and emotional gratification), relational (e.g. advocating for others and diluting opposition) and organizational motives (e.g. ensuring organizational survival and bolstering innovation). Additionally, the authors illustrated how these motives may evolve and/or jointly drive constructive voice.

Originality/value

Although voice scholars are beginning to recognize the existence of other motives besides prosocial, the knowledge of such motives has remained theoretical. This is one of the first studies to empirically examine motives for constructive voice. By unveiling the motives, the findings demonstrate different pathways through which a voice opportunity transforms into a constructive voice behavior.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2023

Tingxi Wang, Yue Xu and Jie Li

The final effectiveness of employee voice largely depends on voice endorsement. This study aims to review, assess, analyze and synthesize the emerging literature on voice

Abstract

Purpose

The final effectiveness of employee voice largely depends on voice endorsement. This study aims to review, assess, analyze and synthesize the emerging literature on voice endorsement by focusing on its antecedents to promote future research from a comprehensive perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an integrative review of the literature, the authors conducted a content analysis of 53 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Findings

Building on the Shannon–Weaver communication model, this paper summarizes that factors influencing voice endorsement can be classified into five prominent aspects: voicer, voiced idea, contextual factors and noises, voice channel (medium) and voice receiver.

Practical implications

This research holds important implications for practice, providing practical guidelines for employees to speak up, for leaders to endorse voice and for organizations to maintain sustainable development by making full use of employee voice.

Originality/value

This review enriches voice endorsement research by introducing a communication framework to synthesize its antecedents and extends the application of the communication model in organization research. Additionally, the authors offer directions for future research.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

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