Drivers of Social Engagement: Employee Voice–Advice Sharing Relationship

Abstract

Sparked by recent scholarly interest in identifying the drivers or antecedents of employee engagement, this article examines the relationship between an employee’s perception of voice and his or her propensity to socially engage in the form of sharing advice. In this article, we conceptualize an employee’s perception of voice as multi-directional in nature. This is because, whether directed upward, downward, or laterally, employees will develop multiple perceptions of voice as they distinguish between their social exchanges across and within the various levels of the organization. Surveying the city workforce of Marietta, Georgia, we found a positive perception of voice is a key driver or antecedent to advice sharing across vertical boundaries with superiors and subordinates and across lateral boundaries with peers. Yet contrary to what the literature would suggest about the influence of superiors on subordinates, we found that low perceptions of upward voice (i.e., perceptions shaped by those at higher levels of the organization) did not influence an employee’s decision to share advice with his or her own subordinates or peers. This research shifts some much-needed attention toward advice sharing as a social manifestation of employee engagement and establishes the importance of assessing and managing an employee’s multiple perceptions of voice.