Exploring Nonlinearity In Employee Voice: The Effects of Personal Control and Organizational Identification

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between personal control–employees' perceptions of autonomy and impact at work–and voice–employees' expression of challenging but constructive work-related opinions, concerns, or ideas. Specifically, we developed and tested an explanation that integrates two conceptual perspectives (i.e., dissatisfaction-based versus expectancy-based) on the effects of personal control. Using data from 586 nurses, we found that the relationship between personal control and voice was U-shaped. Further, organizational identification acted as a moderator: When personal control was low, voice was lower for employees with stronger identification. When personal control was high, voice was higher for employees with stronger identification.