Reference paper:
Milliken, F. J., Morrison, E. W., & Hewlin, P. F. (2003). An Exploratory Study of Employee Silence: Issues that Employees Don’t Communicate Upward and Why*. Journal of Management Studies, 40(6), 1453–1476.Conclusion:
(A 50-word quick summary from my understanding)
Study finds that being silent about issues and problems at work is a very common experience. Most frequently cited issue that could not be raised was performance of supervisor/peer and most frequently cited reason for silence was fear of being labelled negatively. Results also suggest that silence is a collective phenomenon. Quick Notes/queries:
(For my further delving)
Reasons for silence
- Could the reason for silence also be that observer does not perceive the need for change in the first place? For ex- an employee due to his/her cognitive ability limitations may fail to see or is uncertain about whether an issue/concern negatively impacts the collective, or fails to see or is uncertain of opportunities for betterment, thereby remaining silent.
- Does the 'perceived failure of acted upon voice' on collective outcomes influence the reason for silence (in addition to fear of being labeled negatively, damaged relationships, retaliation and negative impact on others)? For ex - an employee with an idea to reconfigure work for better productivity may fear that on reconfiguration, due to influence of some unaccounted factors, a worse off situation may result, and there by negatively impact the organizational, collective or individual performance.
- Could the reason for silence also include the observer concluding that it is not her or more generically her role category's responsibility to voice the issues, concern, suggestion or idea? For ex - a nurse, who observes that the fire safety of the hospital is inadequate, may remain silent as she might rationalize that it is not her or in general any nurse's responsibility to be concerned of building safety.
- Why does the model of silence not explicitly account for 'relationship with collective/organization', and 'supervisor characteristics' as potential influencing factors?
- Could the reason for silence also include employee not knowing who the appropriate target for voice is?
- What are the negative consequences of being labeled 'silent' on the focal employee? What are psychological and behavioral consequences of remaining silent on the focal employee?
Message type
- Are employees more likely to remain silent when the message is of concern/issue/problem type (prohibitive voice) as compared to suggestion/idea type (promotive voice)?
'Lateral' silence
- Are the reasons for not communicating upward same as for not communicating laterally? What are some implicit theories about speaking out to peers? How do employees develop these implicit theories? Do employees remain silent on specific types of issues, problems and concerns with peers? If so, what types of issues, problems and concerns are most likely to elicit silence? Is the silence behavior different for promotive and prohibitive voice?
Perceived efficacy
- Does perceived efficacy of voice imply perceived chances of being heard and/or perceived chances of the voice target acting upon the message? Does it also include perceived utility of the outcome as a result of acting upon the voice message?
Exceptional behavior
- Do certain types of employees persist on voicing despite having faced negative consequences? If so, what characteristics - individual dispositions, demographics or motives - are distinct to these types? For ex - some employees, who believe that voicing is a skill that is essential to professional success, may perceive negative episodes as a learning experiences to hone their voice tactics.
Others
- When employees join an organization, how do they learn the 'rules of the game' on voice?
- How does employee's past experience influence his/her silence behavior? How do they react when the present context is contrary to their past experience?
- How does perceived upward/lateral voice behavior of supervisor influence the upward/lateral voice behavior of his/her team?
- How do office settings (employee/supervisor office space or meeting room) influence perceived openness of organization to voice?
- When are employees more likely to engage in lateral voice as against upward voice, and also the other way round?
- What organizational contexts (such as more centralized) foster employee silence?
- How can employees collective cognitive map about consequences of voice and silence be most effectively altered?