Silence Behavior Research Articles

Psychometric evaluation and translation of the Persian version of the Organizational Silence Behavior Scale (OSBS-P) for clinical nurses.

Healthcare professionals have a crucial responsibility to provide optimal patient care. However, maintaining silence within an organization can often lead to ethical dilemmas and negatively impact the quality of care. Healthcare professionals must speak up and ensure their concerns are heard and addressed to promote a safe and ethical healthcare environment. This study aimed to translate and assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Organizational Silence Behavior Scale (OSBS-P) for clinical nurses. A methodological study was conducted on 338 clinical nurses to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the 32-item OSBS-P. A multilevel approach was used: forward-backward translation, face and content validity, construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis), and reliability (internal consistency and stability) of the Persian version of the OSBS-P were analyzed, respectively. The psychometric evaluation demonstrated that the Persian version of OSBS-P is not only understandable but also retains the conceptual integrity of the original English version. Confirmatory factor analysis validated its alignment with the proposed four-factor model, indicating robust construct validity. The OSBS-P's reliability was excellent, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of α = 0.969, and stability was confirmed with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.951 (95% CI, 0.919-0.945). The OSBS-P is a valid tool for evaluating the organizational silence behavior of clinical nurses.

Assessment of nurses’ workplace silence behaviour motives-: A cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThe motives that lead to nurses’ workplace silence behaviour are essential to understand, as the failure to voice their concerns and maintain silence may cause various adverse outcomes, including burnout, turnover, job dissatisfaction, low productivity, and mental and moral distress. This study aimed to identify the level and influencing motives of the workplace silence behaviour among nurses at the National Guard Hospital in Madinah. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in January and February 2023. The participants completed a questionnaire with two parts: the sociodemographic data form and the Workplace Silence Behavior Nursing Motives Scale. Data analysis was performed by descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. ResultsThe overall level for all workplace silence behavior motives is moderate (3.29 ± 0.69), with Avoidance Motives dimension receiving the highest scores (3.62 ± 0.75) and Organization-Oriented Motives dimension receiving the lowest (3.15 ± 0.86). Chi-square test showed that Saudi nationality (X2 = 0.015, P = 0.019) and monthly income (X2 = 0.045, P = 0.013) are factors in high-moderate levels of silence behaviour. ConclusionsThe overall level of workplace silence behaviour motives was found to be moderate, nurses have higher monthly salaries and non-Saudi nationals tend to have higher levels of workplace silence behaviour motives. The study results provide a reference for nursing managers to pay attention to nurses’ workplace silence behavior and take corresponding intervention measures.

Keeping a Healthy Distance: Leader’s Close Monitoring and Followers’ Voice - Silence Behavior

Keeping a Healthy Distance: Leader’s Close Monitoring and Followers’ Voice - Silence Behavior

Et tu Brute? The Roles of Subordinate-Supervisor Similarities on the Relationship between Abusive Supervision and Employee Silence Behavior: A Study from the Subordinates' Perspectives.

The current study examined the moderating effects of subordinate-supervisor similarities on abusive supervision and employee silence relationships. We addressed the question of whether employees' silence reactions are alleviated or aggravated when the abuse comes from a supervisor who shares a similar gender and other sociodemographic attributes with the employee. The results indicated that abusive supervision led to more silence behavior and supported the moderating effect of perceived sociodemographic similarity on this relationship. However, regardless of gender similarities with their supervisors, the findings postulated that employees experiencing abusive supervision were more likely to remain silent at work. When there is a perceived sociodemographic similarity between the employee and the supervisor, abusive supervision has been found to have a harsher influence on employee's silence behavior. These findings help us better understand the antecedents of employee silence behavior and provide important implications for subordinate-supervisor similarity dynamics in exposure to abusive supervision.

Does Injudicious Kindness Caused by Power Distance Lead to Organizational Silence Behaviors of Research Assistants?

Does Injudicious Kindness Caused by Power Distance Lead to Organizational Silence Behaviors of Research Assistants?

Why and When Do Employees Feel Guilty About Observing Supervisor Ostracism? The Critical Roles of Observers’ Silence Behavior and Leader–Member Exchange Quality

Why and When Do Employees Feel Guilty About Observing Supervisor Ostracism? The Critical Roles of Observers’ Silence Behavior and Leader–Member Exchange Quality

Effects of Hierarchical Unit Culture and Power Distance Orientation on Nurses’ Silence Behavior: The Roles of Perceived Futility and Hospital Management Support for Patient Safety

Background: Patient safety is paramount in healthcare, and effective communication is a cornerstone of preventing adverse patient events. Despite nurses’ crucial role in improving patient safety, they often keep silent about their concerns. This study investigated links among hierarchical unit culture, nurses’ power distance orientation, perception of futility, and silence behavior in healthcare environments. Moreover, we aimed to determine whether nurse‐perceived hospital management support for patient safety moderated the association between nurses’ perceived futility and silence behavior.Methods: This cross‐sectional, correlational study utilized survey data from 730 direct‐care nurses working in 88 medical, surgical, or medical–surgical units across 34 hospitals in South Korea. Validated psychometric scales measured the study variables, and data were analyzed using a 2‐1‐1 type of multilevel structural equation model.Results: Hierarchical unit culture and power distance orientation showed significant positive associations with nurses’ perception of futility (b = 0.62, p < 0.001, and b = 0.37, p < 0.001, respectively) and subsequently with their silence behavior (b = 0.22, p < 0.01, and b = 0.31, p < 0.001, respectively). Futility was found to mediate the relationship of both hierarchical unit culture (indirect effect = 0.222, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.006, 0.438]) and power distance orientation (indirect effect = 0.132, 95% CI [0.003, 0.261]) to silence behavior. Hospital management support for patient safety significantly moderated the relationship between futility and silence behavior (b = 0.04, p < 0.05); nurses were less likely to remain silent when they perceived high management support as opposed to low support, regardless of their futility level.Conclusion: Our findings highlight the crucial influence of organizational culture on nurses’ silence behavior. The findings also underscore the importance of hospital management support with respect to patient safety. Management support may be necessary to combat nurses’ perceived futility and to promote open communication.

Development of the Hospital Nurses' Silence Behavior Scale

This study aimed to develop a scale to measure hospital nurses' silence behavior and examine its validity and reliability. A total of 52 preliminary items on hospital nurses' silence behavior were selected using a content validity test by seven experts on 53 candidate items derived from a literature review and in-depth interviews with 14 nurses. A total of 405 hospital nurses participated in a psychometric testing. Data analysis comprised item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and convergent and discriminant validity tests. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for assessing concurrent validity, and Cronbach's alpha was used for the reliability test. The final scale consisted of nine factors with 31 items, exhibiting acceptable model fit indices, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The score of the entire scale was positively correlated with the 'Organizational Silence Scale (OSS)-the issues on which nurses remain silent' (r = .60, p < .001) and 'OSS-the reasons why nurses remain silent' (r = .68, p < .001). Cronbach's α of the scale was .92, and α of each subscale ranged from .71 to .90. The Hospital Nurses' Silence Behavior Scale is a useful tool for assessing multifaceted silence behavior among nurses. It can provide basic data for developing better communication strategies among nurses and other hospital staff.

The Impact of Social Media Fatigue on Employee Silence Behavior: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Hiding and Information Avoidance Mechanisms

The Impact of Social Media Fatigue on Employee Silence Behavior: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Hiding and Information Avoidance Mechanisms

The Relationship Between Nurses' Communication Practices, Personality Traits and Organizational Silence Behavior

The use of organizational silence has been described as an active and conscious action employed to deliberately withhold information about an organization. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of nurses' communication practices and personality traits on organizational silence behaviors. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 220 nurses. The survey contained questions concerning nurses’ individual/professional characteristics and their choices about whether or not to remain silent about issues in the workplace and it also contained the Organizational Silence Behavior Scale and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory. Descriptive statistics, and regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Nurses’ mean score of the Organizational Silence Behavior Scale was 2.6 (.81). Multiple regression analysis indicated that nurses' organizational silence behavior was negatively affected by the choice to remain silent when their relationships with colleagues were put at risk, when they felt they may be excluded if they expressed their opinions, when they did not believe that sharing their ideas would improve the unit, and when their personality trait was determined to be emotionally stable. Organizational silence behavior is influenced by the choice to remain silent and an emotionally stable personality type.

Role Conflict and it’s relation to Organizational Silence Behavior among Nurses

Role Conflict and it’s relation to Organizational Silence Behavior among Nurses

Workplace suspicion, knowledge hiding, and silence behavior: A double-moderated mediation model of knowledge-based psychological ownership and face consciousness.

Silence behavior is a common and influential phenomenon in organizations. Scholars have explored a lot of antecedents for silence behavior, but rarely from the perspective of colleagues. Based on the conservation of resources theory and self-regulation theory, the study constructs a double-moderated mediating model to explore the relationship between workplace suspicion and silence behavior as well as its mechanism. This study conducts a three-wave questionnaire survey and adopts 303 valid pairs of samples from 23 companies in China to validate the research hypotheses. A confirmatory factor analysis in the AMOS software and the PROCESS bootstrapping program in SPSS is used in this study. Our findings indicate that workplace suspicion is positively correlated with silence behavior; knowledge hiding mediates the relationship between workplace suspicion and silence behavior; knowledge-based psychological ownership moderates this mediating effect by strengthening the negative impact of workplace suspicion on knowledge hiding; and face consciousness moderates the mediating effect by weakening the positive impact of workplace suspicion on knowledge hiding. Managerial and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed and offered.

The Mediating Role of Happiness in the Relationship between Psychological Safety and Silence Behavior of Educational Staff

The primary purpose of the research was to investigate the effect of psychological safety on the silent behaviour of academic staff with the mediating role of happiness. This research was descriptive-correlational regarding the data collection method. The statistical population was all employees (administrators and teachers) of public schools in Tehran, of whom 373 persons were selected. The questionnaires included a “psychological safety” questionnaire by Edmondson (1999), a researcher-made questionnaire on “silence behaviour” according to the Vakola and Bouradas questionnaire (2005), and “happiness” by Oxford (1990). Descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equations modelling tests) were used to analyse the data. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between psychological safety and the employees’ happiness. Findings of the structural equations modelling indicated that the direct effect of psychological safety on silence was -0.61, and psychological safety with the mediation of happiness reduced to silence by -0.77. It could be concluded from the results of this research that happiness has an important effect on reducing organisational silence, and this research would provide a theoretical reference for managers to take comprehensive measures to improve happiness in the organisation.

How Moral Identity Inhibits Employee Silence Behavior: The Roles of Felt Obligation and Corporate Social Responsibility Perception

How Moral Identity Inhibits Employee Silence Behavior: The Roles of Felt Obligation and Corporate Social Responsibility Perception

The Influence of Speaking Up Climate, Psychological Safety, Organizational Learning Culture, and Supervisor Support for Patient Safety on Clinical Nurses’ Silence Behavior

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the effects of speaking up climate, psychological safety, organizational learning culture, and supervisor support for patient safety on clinical nurses’ silence behavior. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 189 nurses working at a tertiary hospital. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression. Results: The average score of nurses’ silence behavior was 2.23±0.62 out of 5 points. The strongest factor influencing nurses’ silence behavior was speaking up climate (β=-.33, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.001), followed by psychological safety (β=-.20, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;=.013), and organizational learning culture (β=-.15, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;=.040). The regression model explained approximately 38% of the overall variance in the nurses’ silence behavior. Conclusion: This study found that the speaking up climate was the most important predictor of nurses’ silence behavior. Thus, we suggest that hospital administrators and nurse managers should encourage nurses to speak up by having regular meetings among healthcare professionals to enhance the psychological safety of nurses. In addition, to reduce nurses’ silence behavior, it is essential to create a culture wherein all members of the organization can constantly learn from mistakes or errors, which will, in turn, make it possible to improve patient safety at the system level.

Silent Learners’ Voices: Exploring the Silence Behavior in Indonesian EFL Classroom

&lt;em&gt;Silence in an EFL classroom is inevitable, but it only becomes an issue when it discourages students from participating, speaking out, or taking an active role in the teaching and learning process. This study's goal is to determine the reasons for learners' silent behavior and expectations in the EFL classroom. Employing an explanatory sequential research design, the data are collected through questionnaires from 78 Indonesian senior high school learners and analyzed using a descriptive statistic to identify the silent learners. Moreover, interviews were given in order to elicit personal explanations for why learners choose to remain silent in EFL classes. The result of this study specifically identified five reasons for silence in EFL classrooms. Furthermore, the empirical findings gained by this study can support linguistic practitioners or educators in developing a more acute awareness and a deeper comprehension of learners' silent behavior&lt;/em&gt;

Authentic Leader and Employee’s Silence Behavior: Testing a Happiness at Work Mechanism

A study that tries to explain more deeply the mechanism underlying the relationship between authentic leadership and silence behavior has not been explored. Hence, the study trying to investigate it is still needed. This study endeavor to explain the relationship between authentic leadership and subordinates’ silence behavior. Specifically, this study utilized happiness at work as a psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between the two variables. The current study involved 310 full-time worker who work as government officers in government institutions in a province in Indonesia and used PLS-SEM analysis to test hypotheses. The study finding revealed that authentic leadership has a negative effect on subordinates’ silence behavior. Furthermore, this study also revealed that happiness at work mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and subordinates’ silence behavior. The study finding provides advanced knowledge about the function of authentic leadership in organizations to shapes positive attitudes and prevents negative behaviors, such as silence behavior..

Knowledge Hiding and Hider's Innovative Behavior in Chinese Organizations: The Mediating Role of Silence Behavior and the Moderating Role of Zhongyong Thinking

ABSTRACTDrawing from the theory of territorial behavior, this article predicts the explanatory role of silence behavior in the relationship between knowledge hiding and hider's innovative behavior in Chinese organizations, and the potential of Zhongyong thinking in mitigating the detrimental effect of knowledge hiding. Results derived from a time-lagged and multi-source survey support our hypotheses. Specifically, knowledge hiding is negatively associated with the innovative behavior of the hider. Silence behavior mediates the relationship between knowledge hiding and innovative behavior. Meanwhile, Zhongyong thinking moderates the positive relationship between knowledge hiding and silence behavior, as well as the indirect relationship between knowledge hiding and innovative behavior through silence behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on these findings.

Determining the Organizational Silence Behavior of Nursing Faculty Members and Affecting Factors

Determining the Organizational Silence Behavior of Nursing Faculty Members and Affecting Factors

Why won’t people speak up? Unpacking silence at work

PurposeThis paper examines employee silence, namely, the causes of silence and how it might be overcome.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from academic research and work with organizations, the author explains that workplace diversity is insufficient to guarantee the contributions of diverse voices. The author then provides an overview of why individuals choose to remain silent and explores aspects of organizational culture and climate that contribute to silencing behaviors. Finally, the author offers suggestions on how organizational leaders can overcome silence.FindingsThe findings suggest that employee voice can be activated through a psychologically safe working environment in which leaders adopt a learning mindset, practice humility, create opportunities for all team members to contribute, treat people with fairness and respect, and hold others accountable to do the same. The findings also indicate that leaders can support safe and inclusive working environments by challenging basic assumptions and accepting vulnerability.Originality/valueThis paper makes an important contribution to the field of organization development and change by providing suggestions for how organizations can address workplace concerns and enhance performance by removing the inhibitors of “employee voice”.