Hostname: page-component-669899f699-ggqkh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-25T18:41:00.670Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The proactive nature of employee voice: The facilitating role of supervisor developmental feedback

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2023

Hataya Sibunruang Open the ORCID record for Hataya Sibunruang [Opens in a new window]  and
Norifumi Kawai
Hataya Sibunruang*
Affiliation:
Waikato Management School, University of Waikato, Gate 7, Hillcrest Road, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
Norifumi Kawai
Affiliation:
Department of Business Sciences, University of Bergamo, Via Salvecchio, 19, 24129 Bergamo BG, Italy
*
Corresponding author: Hataya Sibunruang, Email: hataya.sibunruang@waikato.ac.nz
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Drawing upon Parker, Bindl, and Strauss' [(2010). Making things happen: A model of proactive motivation. Journal of Management, 36(4), 827–856] model of proactive motivation, we provide an explanation for how employees who exhibit a high need for achievement can take a proactive initiative through the expression of voice. Importantly, the extent to which employee voice can bring about desired changes depends largely on how positively received the behavior is by those in higher positions, such as supervisors. In this regard, we further highlight the facilitating role of supervisor developmental feedback in shaping the effectiveness of voice behavior. Data from 392 independently matched subordinate–supervisor dyads from Japan provide empirical support for proposed relationships as follows: (a) there is a positive mediating relationship between the need for achievement, employee voice, and supervisors' evaluations of employee task performance and discretionary work effort, and (b) the mediating relationship becomes stronger when supervisor developmental feedback is high. Theoretical and practical implications are further discussed.

Keywords

employee voiceneed for achievementproactive behaviorsupervisor developmental feedbacksupervisors' assessments
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , July 2024 , pp. 1100 - 1118
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Allen, T. D., & Rush, M. C. (1998). The effects of organizational citizenship behavior on performance judgments: A field study and a laboratory experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(2), 247–260. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.83.2.247CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Argote, L., & Ingram, P. (2000). Knowledge transfer: A basis for competitive advantage in firms. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82(1), 150–169. doi: 10.1006/obhd.2000.2893CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Axtell, C., Holman, D., & Wall, T. (2006). Promoting innovation: A change study. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 79(3), 509–516. doi: 10.1348/096317905X68240CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (1988). On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 16(1), 74–94. doi: 10.1007/BF02723327CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bateman, T. S., & Crant, J. M. (1993). The proactive component of organizational behavior: A measure and correlates. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14(2), 103–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Becker, T. E. (2005). Potential problems in the statistical control of variables in organizational research: A qualitative analysis with recommendations. Organizational Research Methods, 8(3), 274–289. doi: 10.1177/1094428105278021CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. M. (1993). Expanding the criterion domain to include elements of contextual performance. In Schmitt, N. & Borman, W. C. (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 71–98). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Botero, I. C., & Van Dyne, L. (2009). Employee voice behavior: Interactive effects of LMX and power distance in the United States and Colombia. Management Communication Quarterly, 23(1), 84–104. doi: 10.1177/0893318909335415CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185–216. doi: 10.1177/135910457000100301CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brunstein, J. C. (2008). Achievement motivation. In Heckhausen, J. & Heckhausen, H. (Eds.), Motivation and action (pp. 137–183). England: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Budd, J. W., Gollan, P. J., & Wilkinson, A. (2010). New approaches to employee voice and participation in organizations. Human Relations, 63(3), 303–310. doi: 10.1177/0018726709348938CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burris, E. R. (2012). The risks and rewards of speaking up: Managerial responses to employee voice. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 851–875. doi: 10.5465/amj.2010.0562CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burris, E. R., Rockmann, K. W., & Kimmons, Y. S. (2017). The value of voice to managers: Employee identification and the content of voice. Academy of Management Journal, 60(6), 2099–2125. doi: 10.5465/amj.2014.0320CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheng, J., Bai, H., & Hu, C. (2019). The relationship between ethical leadership and employee voice: The roles of error management climate and organizational commitment. Journal of Management and Organization, 28(1), 1–19. doi: 10.1017/jmo.2019.49Google Scholar
Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 425–445. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.425CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crant, J. M. (2000). Proactive behavior in organizations. Journal of Management, 26(3), 435–462. doi: 10.1177/014920630002600304CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Stobbeleir, K. E., Ashford, S. J., & Buyens, D. (2011). Self-regulation of creativity at work: The role of feedback-seeking behavior in creative performance. Academy of Management Journal, 54(4), 811–831. doi: 10.5465/amj.2011.64870144CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Detert, J. R., & Treviño, L. K. (2010). Speaking up to higher-ups: How supervisors and skip-level leaders influence employee voice. Organization Science, 21(1), 249–270. doi: 10.1287/orsc.1080.0405CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duan, J., Kwan, H. K., & Ling, B. (2014). The role of voice efficacy in the formation of voice behavior: A cross-level examination. Journal of Management and Organization, 20(4), 526–543. doi: 10.1017/jmo.2014.40CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eibl, B., Lang, F. R., & Niessen, C. (2020). Employee voice at work: The role of employees’ gender, self-efficacy beliefs, and leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(4), 570–585. doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2020.1733979CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farh, J. L., Earley, P. C., & Lin, S. C. (1997). Impetus for action: A cultural analysis of justice and organizational citizenship behavior in Chinese society. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(3), 421–444. doi: 10.2307/2393733CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frenkel, S. J., & Bednall, T. (2016). How training and promotion opportunities, career expectations, and two dimensions of organizational justice explain discretionary work effort. Human Performance, 29(1), 16–32. doi: 10.1080/08959285.2015.1120306CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuller, J. B., Marler, L. E., & Hester, K. (2006). Promoting felt responsibility for constructive change and proactive behavior: Exploring aspects of an elaborated model of work design. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(8), 1089–1120. doi: 10.1002/job.408CrossRefGoogle Scholar
George, J. M., & Zhou, J. (2007). Dual tuning in a supportive context: Joint contributions of positive mood, negative mood, and supervisory behaviors to employee creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 50(3), 605–622. doi: 10.5465/amj.2007.25525934CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant, A. M., & Ashford, S. J. (2008). The dynamics of proactivity at work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 28, 3–34. doi: 10.1016/j.riob.2008.04.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guarana, C. L., Li, J. J., & Hernandez, M. (2017). Examining the effects of manager-subordinate gender match on managerial response to voice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 72, 147–160. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2017.04.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hair, F. Jr.,, Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). PLS-SEM: Indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing theory and Practice, 19(2), 139–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Mena, J. A. (2012). An assessment of the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling in marketing research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40, 414–433. doi: 10.1007/s11747-011-0261-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Herbig, P. A., & Palumbo, F. (1994). The effect of culture on the adoption process: A comparison of Japanese and American behavior. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 46(1), 71–101. doi: 10.1016/0040-1625(94)90019-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values (Vol. 5). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. (1989). Organising for cultural diversity. European Management Journal, 7(4), 390–397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holthus, B. G., & Manzenreiter, W. (Eds.). (2017). Life course, happiness and well-being in Japan. London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hsiung, H. H., & Tsai, W. C. (2017). The joint moderating effects of activated negative moods and group voice climate on the relationship between power distance orientation and employee voice behavior. Applied Psychology, 66(3), 487–514. doi: 10.1111/apps.12096CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1998). Fit indices in covariance structure modeling: Sensitivity to underparameterized model misspecification. Psychological Methods, 3(4), 424–453. doi: 10.1037/1082-989X.3.4.424CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hung, H. K., Yeh, R. S., & Shih, H. Y. (2012). Voice behavior and performance ratings: The role of political skill. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(2), 442–450. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2011.07.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Isaakyan, S., Sherf, E. N., Tangirala, S., & Guenter, H. (2021). Keeping it between us: Managerial endorsement of public versus private voice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(7), 1049–1066. doi: 10.1037/apl0000816CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jackson, D. N. (1974). Manual for the personality research form. Goshen, NY: Research Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Jenkins, S. R. (1987). Need for achievement and women's careers over 14 years: Evidence for occupational structure effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(5), 922–932. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.53.5.922CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kline, P. (1999). Handbook of psychological testing. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Kumar, T. K. (1975). Multicollinearity in regression analysis. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 57(3), 365–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, N., Harris, T. B., Boswell, W. R., & Xie, Z. (2011). The role of organizational insiders' developmental feedback and proactive personality on newcomers' performance: An interactionist perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1317–1327. doi: 10.1037/a0024029CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, N., Liang, J., & Crant, J. M. (2010). The role of proactive personality in job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior: A relational perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(2), 395–404. doi: 10.1037/a0018079CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liang, J., Farh, C. I., & Farh, J. L. (2012). Psychological antecedents of promotive and prohibitive voice: A two-wave examination. Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), 71–92. doi: 10.5465/amj.2010.0176CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacKenzie, S. B., Podsakoff, P. M., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2011). Challenge-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational effectiveness: Do challenge-oriented behaviors really have an impact on the organization's bottom line? Personnel Psychology, 64(3), 559–592. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01219.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
May, T. Y. M., Korczynski, M., & Frenkel, S. J. (2002). Organizational and occupational commitment: Knowledge workers in large corporations. Journal of Management Studies, 39(6), 775–801. doi: 10.1111/1467-6486.00311CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClelland, D. C. (1965). N achievement and entrepreneurship: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1(4), 389–392. doi: 10.1037/h0021956CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McClelland, D. C. (1985). How motives, skills, and values determine what people do. American Psychologist, 40(7), 812–825. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.40.7.812CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrison, E. W. (2011). Employee voice behavior: Integration and directions for future research. Academy of Management Annals, 5(1), 373–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrison, E. W., & Milliken, F. J. (2000). Organizational silence: A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 706–725. doi: 10.5465/amr.2000.3707697CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mowbray, P. K., Wilkinson, A., & Tse, H. H. (2015). An integrative review of employee voice: Identifying a common conceptualization and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 17(3), 382–400. doi: 10.1111/ijmr.12045CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, H. A. (1938). Explorations in personality. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Parker, S. K., Bindl, U. K., & Strauss, K. (2010). Making things happen: A model of proactive motivation. Journal of Management, 36(4), 827–856. doi: 10.1177/0149206310363732CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Preacher, K. J., Rucker, D. D., & Hayes, A. F. (2007). Addressing moderated mediation hypotheses: Theory, methods, and prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 42(1), 185–227.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seibert, S. E., Kraimer, M. L., & Crant, J. M. (2001). What do proactive people do? A longitudinal model linking proactive personality and career success. Personnel Psychology, 54(4), 845–874. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2001.tb00234.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shepherd, D. A., Patzelt, H., & Berry, C. M. (2019). Why didn't you tell me? Voicing concerns over objective information about a project's flaws. Journal of Management, 45(3), 1087–1113. doi: 10.1177/0149206316688942CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siemsen, E., Roth, A., & Oliveira, P. (2010). Common method bias in regression models with linear, quadratic, and interaction effects. Organizational Research Methods, 13(3), 456–476. doi: 10.1177/1094428109351241CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (1998). Social cognitive theory and self-efficacy: Goin beyond traditional motivational and behavioral approaches. Organizational Dynamics, 26(4), 62–74. doi: 10.1016/S0090-2616(98)90006-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steers, R. M., & Braunstein, D. N. (1976). A behaviorally-based measure of manifest needs in work settings. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 9(2), 251–266. doi: 10.1016/0001-8791(76)90083-XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stroh, L. K., Brett, J. M., & Reilly, A. H. (1992). All the right stuff: A comparison of female and male managers' career progression. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(3), 251–260. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.77.3.251CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tabachnick, B. G., Fidell, L. S., & Ullman, J. B. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (Vol. 5, pp. 481–498). Boston, MA: Pearson.Google Scholar
Tepper, B. J., Duffy, M. K., Hoobler, J., & Ensley, M. D. (2004). Moderators of the relationships between coworkers' organizational citizenship behavior and fellow employees’ attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(3), 455–465. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.89.3.455CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomas, J. P., Whitman, D. S., & Viswesvaran, C. (2010). Employee proactivity in organizations: A comparative meta-analysis of emergent proactive constructs. Journal of occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(2), 275–300. doi: 10.1348/096317910X502359CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsui, A. S., Pearce, J. L., Porter, L. W., & Tripoli, A. M. (1997). Alternative approaches to the employee-organization relationship: Does investment in employees pay off? Academy of Management Journal, 40(5), 1089–1121. doi: 10.5465/256928CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Dyne, L., Cummings, L.K., & Parks, J.M. (1995). Extra-role behaviors: In pursuit of construct and definitional clarity (a bridge over muddied waters). In Cummings, L. K. & Staw, B. M. (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 17, pp. 215–285). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Van Dyne, L., & LePine, J. A. (1998). Helping and voice extra-role behaviors: Evidence of construct and predictive validity. Academy of Management Journal, 41(1), 108–119. doi: 10.5465/256902CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whiting, S. W., Maynes, T. D., Podsakoff, N. P., & Podsakoff, P. M. (2012). Effects of message, source, and context on evaluations of employee voice behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(1), 159–182. doi: 10.1037/a0024871CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whiting, S. W., Podsakoff, P. M., & Pierce, J. R. (2008). Effects of task performance, helping, voice, and organizational loyalty on performance appraisal ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(1), 125–139. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.93.1.125CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179–201. doi: 10.5465/amr.2001.4378011CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xu, M., Qin, X., Dust, S. B., & DiRenzo, M. S. (2019). Supervisor-subordinate proactive personality congruence and psychological safety: A signaling theory approach to employee voice behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(4), 440–453. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.03.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yeh, R. S. (1988). On Hofstede's treatment of Chinese and Japanese values. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 6(1), 149–160. doi: 10.1007/BF01732256CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhou, J. (2003). When the presence of creative coworkers is related to creativity: Role of supervisor close monitoring, developmental feedback, and creative personality. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(3), 413–422. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.88.3.413CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed