How and when group cohesion influences employee voice: A conservation of resources perspective. Issue 3 (19th March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kong, Fang; Liu, Peng; Weng, Jie
• Is Part Of: Journal of managerial psychology. Volume 35:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 142
• Page End: 154
• Publication Date: 2020-03-19
• Subjects: Voice behavior -- Group cohesion -- Psychological safety -- Cohesion strength; Organizational behavior -- Periodicals; Management -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Psychology, Industrial -- Periodicals; Industrial management -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 158.7
• DOI: 10.1108/JMP-04-2018-0161
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0268-3946

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: This study examines how and when group cohesion influences employee voice. Design/methodology/approach: The sample comprises 215 employees from 41 workgroups in China. Multilevel path analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings: The results show that group cohesion is positively related to employee voice. Group psychological safety mediates the positive relationship between group cohesion and employee voice. Further, high cohesion strength enhances the association of group cohesion with employee voice as well as the mediating effect of group cohesion on voice behavior through group psychological safety. Research limitations/implications: This study employs a cross-sectional design and does not establish causal relationships among the variables examined. This study offers research implications because it adds to our knowledge on the situational antecedents of voice behavior. Practical implications: The findings suggest that group cohesion plays an important role in influencing employee voice. To encourage employees to speak up, managers should pay attention to group cohesion in terms of both cohesion level and strength. Originality/value: This study is the first to examine the mechanism and condition of the effect of group cohesion on employee voice, thus extending knowledge on the situational factors influencing voice behavior.