Investigating the relationship between superior‐subordinate relationship quality and employee dissent

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how subordinates’ perceptions of superior‐subordinate relationship quality (LMX) related to their strategies for expressing dissent. Employees from various organizations completed self‐report survey instruments. Results indicated that subordinates who perceived having high‐quality relationships with their supervisors reported using significantly more articulated dissent than subordinates who perceived having low‐quality relationships with their supervisors. Conversely, subordinates who perceived having low‐quality relationships with their supervisors reported using significantly more latent dissent than subordinates who perceived having high‐quality relationships with their supervisors.