Imperfect reflections: using the carnival to identify transformative employee voice practices

PurposeA review of previous studies on the voices of employees and knowledge workers clarifies that paying attention to employees' voice is critical in human resource management. However, limited studies have been conducted on it, and much less emphasis has been placed compared to other human resource management activities such as human resource planning. Therefore, the voice of knowledge employees has been one of the critical issues that have attracted a great deal of attention recently. Nonetheless, there is no evidence of various comprehensive and integrated voice mechanisms. As a result, this study aims to design knowledge workers' voice patterns in knowledge-based companies specialising in information and communication technology (ICT) in Iran in May and June 2020.Design/methodology/approachThis study is a qualitative grounded theory research. We collected the data from a target sample of 15 experts in knowledge-based ICT companies using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Since all the participants had practised the employee voice process, they were regarded as useful data sources. Data analysis was also performed using three-step coding (open, axial and selective) by Atlas T8, which eventually led to identifying 14 components and 38 selected codes. We placed identified components in a paradigm model, including Personality Characteristics, Job Factors, Economic Factors, Cultural Factors, Organisational Policies, Organisational Structure, Climate Of Voice in the Organisation, Management Factors, Emotional Events, Communications and Networking, Contrast and Conflict and, etc. Then, the voice pattern of the knowledge staff was drawn.FindingsThe results showed that constructive knowledge voice influences the recognition of environmental opportunities and, additionally, it helps the competitive advantages among the employees. By forming the concept of knowledge staff voice, it can be concluded that paying attention to knowledge staff voice leads to presenting creative solutions to do affairs in critical situations. The presentation of these solutions by knowledge workers results in the acceptance of environmental changes, recognition and exploitation of new chances and ideas, and sharing experiences in Iranian knowledge-based companies.Practical implicationsStrengthening and expanding the voice of employees in knowledge-oriented companies can pave the way to growth and development towards a higher future that prevents the waste of tangible and intangible assets.Originality/valueCompanies' ability to engage in knowledge workers is a vital factor in human resource management and strategic management. However, the employee voice has not been involved integrally in the context of corporate.

This article reflects critically on the study of Muslims in European countries of immigration. ‘Muslim’ is both a category of analysis and an increasingly salient – and contested – category of social, political and religious practice. The traffic between categories of analysis and categories of practice makes it important for scholars to adopt a critical and self-reflexive stance towards the categories we use. The article sketches some ways in which the use of ‘Muslim’ as a category of practice – a category of self- and other-identification – has changed in recent decades, and it concludes with some cautionary remarks about the use of ‘Muslim’ as a category of analysis.

This study investigated the extent to which organizational structure and communication climate influence employee voice and concomitant outcomes. Given the prevalent use of digital technologies, we examined two discrete types of employee voice: identifiable, in-person voice vs. anonymous, digitally-enabled voice. Findings demonstrated that (a) organizational centralization was negatively linked to freedom of speech; (b) freedom of speech increased employee voice both at work and through anonymous social media, and (c) both types of voice had positive relationships with organizational change, which subsequently enhanced commitment. Our study advances employee voice scholarship by (a) highlighting the significance of communication climate and the efficacy of digitally-enabled anonymous voice, and (b) proposing employee voice as a multidimensional construct that encompasses content, identifiability, and modality.

The literature on employee voice has grown enormously over the past decades. However, the relationships between different employee voice mechanisms and organizational performance are far from being fully understood, and the existing research shows mixed evidence. Moreover, the HRM literature tends to concentrate on individual voice mechanisms (e.g. employee involvement) and to underestimate the role that collective voice may have in the HRM performance relationship. Through an analysis of a sample of 223 Italian manufacturing firms matched with an external database (AIDA) containing balance sheet information, this paper offers new findings for the advancement of the debate on employee voice and performance by analyzing how collective voice mechanisms (i.e. team and union voice) and their interactions with other high performance work practices affect organizational productivity. Union voice was found to be positively related to labor productivity, while direct voice did not show any significant relationshi...

As the already vast Chinese economy continues to outpace much of the world, the importance of establishing and promoting cultures of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and active employee voice within businesses that operate in China is becoming essential; both for sustaining economic growth and promoting the wellbeing of Chinese workers. History shows that the costs of not maintaining a CSR culture can be substantial, on both an economic and social level. By setting forth the economic and social justifications in support of CSR, this chapter aims to motivate businesses to further grow their CSR culture. To this end, this chapter first introduces the topic of CSR and employee voice. It then describes the costs of lacking CSR and voice by examining examples of corporate failures where CSR could have been beneficial. This is followed by a discussion of the barriers to CSR and voice in China. Next, we address whistleblowing laws and practices in China, followed by our conclusions and a discussion of suggestions for stimulating CSR and employee voice culture.

The study of employee voice in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across national contexts remains under-theorised and under-studied. This paper uses Kaufman’s integrative model of employee voice, and an exploratory study of 30 interviews with employees in non-unionised SMEs in the United Kingdom, Thailand and Nigeria, to compare the employee experience with voice, and the impact of this experience on voice behaviour at work. Findings show that the interaction between the external institutional context and internal SME context (organisational configuration, governance structure and internal contingencies in the employment relationship) impacts employee voice agency, the perceived levels of voice and, ultimately, employee voice behaviour. The paper contributes to employee voice theory by offering an analysis of voice determinants on voice behaviour specific to non-unionised SMEs from an international comparative employee perspective, presents these in an initial framework and explains how employees experience voice in small workplaces.

PurposeThe paper seeks to report on the results of a regional survey of public sector HR and union representatives' views and experiences of employee voice techniques in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachThe research was based on a descriptive survey and subsequent statistical analysis of significant difference between HR and union representatives in terms of their views on the aims and efficacy of various forms of employee voice initiatives.FindingsA broad range of employee voice mechanisms, both direct and indirect, was identified, many running concurrently, across the sample organisations. The European Union was identified as a significant influence in encouraging voice initiatives in the workplace.Research limitations/implicationsThe research, whilst engaging with the views and experiences of representatives from a larger group of organisations, will require subsequent case study research to investigate some of the findings in greater depth.Practical implicationsThere are clear implications for management in terms of the potential effect of EU regulations around involvement and participation. There is also evidence that the unions are not being marginalized by more individually‐focused voice initiatives but, conversely, some union representatives' lack of knowledge of the regulations could hamper union long‐term voice strategies.Originality/valueThe paper applies existing employee voice case study theory to a broader range of organisations through a survey approach, whilst demonstrating the practical application of those concepts and models to increase one's knowledge of employee voice techniques currently in use in the public sector.

Collective voice mechanisms, HRM practices and organizational performance in Italian manufacturing firms

While the history of employee voice and participation is longstanding, there has been a sharp increase in interest in these topics among academics, practitioners, and policy-makers in recent years. The research on employee voice and participation has therefore significantly broadened, expanding from an earlier institutional focus to also include significant behavioural and strategic streams. This article introduces a symposium that extends our knowledge of employee voice and participation in terms of new organizational forms, practices and processes that affect the nature, structure and conditions of work and organizations by showcasing the breadth of contemporary research on voice and participation.

This paper studies the impact of task complexity and decomposability on the degree of organizational divisionalization and hierarchy within firms. Drawing upon the team theory and modularity literature, it argues that the degree of divisionalization is predicated not only on the extent of interdependence (complexity) among tasks but also on the extent to which those interdependent relationships are decomposable. As such, the feasibility and benefits of modularization in organizational design may be overstated when the underlying tasks are not decomposable. In addition, this paper argues that organizational hierarchy serves to mitigate the tension between complexity and decomposability by facilitating a higher degree of divisionalization. These arguments are tested using data on the business activities and organization structures of U.S. equipment manufacturers in 1993–2003. Results show that divisionalization increases with task complexity, suggesting that complex task systems encourage more division of managerial responsibilities. However, divisionalization decreases as task systems become less decomposable. Meanwhile, organizational hierarchy increases with task complexity, and it increases as task systems become less decomposable. These findings highlight the constraints firms face in designing modular organization structures and the role of hierarchy in coordinating complex task systems that are not fully decomposable.

Antecedents and Outcomes of Voice and Silence Behaviours of Employees of Tertiary Educational Institutions in Nigeria

The study examined the effect of employee voice on organisational commitment of oil and gas companies in Lagos State Nigeria. The type of survey research design method employed for the study was cross sectional survey research design. The population of the study consists of 1724 employees of three selected companies in Lagos State. Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size calculation table was used to estimate the sample size of 313 employees. Simple random sampling was used for the study. Copies of validated structured questionnaire were used for data collection. To establish the reliability of the instrument, a test-retest method was used. The statistical techniques of data analysis employed includes: descriptive statistics, and multiple regression analysis. Findings showed that workplace meetings (? = 0.408, P < 0.05), employee participation in decision making (? = 0.126, P < 0.05) and supervisor-subordinate mutual relationship (? = 0.368, 0.05) has positive effect on organizational commitment. Findings showed that 61% of the change in organizational commitment can be explained by the variables of employee voice. The study concluded that employee voice significantly predict organizational commitment of oil and gas companies in Lagos State Nigeria. The study recommended amongst others that companies should encourage a culture where employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas. Foster an environment where employees feel empowered to share their perspectives and engage in discussions with their colleagues and superiors.
 Keywords: Employee Voice, Organisational Commitment, Oil and Gas Companies, Lagos.

This paper is an outcome of the business ethics course conducted during the third semester of the MBA course and aims to examine how a subordinate employee’s response, either by raising a concern or being quiet to repeated misbehavior of the leader, impacts an organization. Primary data was collected from the employees of mid-sized IT companies in India using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Structural equation modeling has been used to analyze the data. Mediation analysis has been conducted to verify the mediating role of organizational culture. It is found that if an employee feels safe in an environment, they open up to suggestions or else suppress their thoughts to escape repercussion. The analysis shows that silence and voice in an organization have an impact on the organization’s culture. The implications of this study show that leaders violate the integrity of the organization by vandalizing the organization's objectives, outcomes, assets, and well-being of the co-employees. Previous studies have not focused on the mediating role of organizational culture on employee voice or silence.

Five Messages LTC Leaders Must Manage

It is commonly argued that organizations that suppress employee voice will generally witness increased job dissatisfaction, burnout, and workplace conflicts, which ultimately affect employee retention and overall well-being. Empirical evidence abounds to the effect that when employees feel heard and valued in decision-making processes, they are more likely to experience reduced stress, increased motivation, and better workplace relationships, ultimately contributing to higher productivity and organizational performance. However, despite the growing body of literature on the putative link between the workplace wellbeing of workers and the latitude of expression accorded them therein, research in this regard within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector remains limited. This study set out to empirically investigate the relationship between employee voice (our predictor variable) and worker well-being (our criterion variable) in selected oil and gas companies in Rivers State, Nigeria. Adopting a cross-sectional survey research design, relevant data were collected from 245 employees using structured questionnaire. The study variables were assessed for validity and reliability, with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients ranging from 0.779 to 0.876. The results, analyzed using Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation and hypotheses testing via SPSS 26, revealed that Direct Voice had the strongest positive correlation with worker well-being (r = 0.718 to 0.750), emphasizing the importance of open communication channels. Indirect Voice also showed a significant but slightly weaker correlation (r = 0.617 to 0.647), suggesting that while representation through unions is beneficial, it is perceived as less immediate. Leadership style demonstrated a strong influence on psychological well-being (r = 0.775), reinforcing the role of transformational leadership in fostering a supportive work environment. The study recommends that organizations implement policies promoting direct employee participation, strengthen the effectiveness of indirect representation, and enhance leadership development programmes to improve overall worker well-being.