The divergent effects of employees’ sense of power on constructive and defensive voice behavior: A cross-level moderated mediation model

Abstract

Previous studies mainly focused on the antecedents of voice, yet little research has investigated how sense of power divergently affected voice behavior with different contents. Following the recent literature on voice content and the approach/inhibition theory of power, we argue that sense of power positively influences constructive voice behavior through situational promotion focus but negatively affects defensive voice behavior through situational prevention focus. Moreover, we argue that supervisor openness moderates the relationship between situational regulatory focus and voice behavior. The results of a scenario-based study (N = 95) and a time-lagged field survey (N = 375) indicate that: (1) sense of power is positively related to constructive voice behavior and negatively related to defensive voice behavior; (2) situational promotion focus and situational prevention focus mediate the effect of sense of power on constructive voice behavior and defensive voice behavior, respectively; and (3) the indirect effects of sense of power on constructive and defensive voice behavior via situational regulatory focus are contingent on supervisor openness. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.