The voicer's reactions to voice: an examination of employee voice on perceived organizational status and subsequent innovative behavior in the workplace

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to explore the voicer's own psychological or behavioral reactions to voice. A framework was proposed to predict how and when employee voice is related to innovative behavior in the workplace based on conservation of resources theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from a three-wave survey including 232 employees and their supervisors. Hierarchical multiple regression and PROCESS, a SPSS macro, were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Employee voice was positively associated with innovative behavior. Perceived organizational status mediated the link between voice and innovative behavior. Meanwhile, performance-goal orientation strengthened the positive voice–perceived organizational status and voice–innovative behavior associations.

Originality/value

This paper extended the authors’ understanding of the outcomes of voice by elucidating that voice could motivate the psychological or behavioral reactions of not only team members but also the voicer himself/herself. In addition, it highlighted the value of performance-goal orientation in strengthening the potentially positive relationship between voice and perceived organizational status. In doing so, the authors identified the unexplored individual-level psychological and behavioral reactions of the voicer himself/herself after speaking up. The present study also provided practical implications by shedding light on measures to promote innovative behavior in the workplace.

Citation

Chen, L., Li, M., Wu, Y.J. and Chen, C. (2020), "The voicer's reactions to voice: an examination of employee voice on perceived organizational status and subsequent innovative behavior in the workplace", Personnel Review, Vol. 50 No. 4, pp. 1073-1092. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-07-2019-0399