Journal article
Employee silence in an organizational context: A review and research agenda
European Management Journal, Vol.41(6), pp.1072-1085
2023
Abstract
This paper conducts a systematic literature review of 92 studies that examines employee silence in an organizational context, published during the last two decades. We investigate the theories used, industries covered, methods applied, and report on the specific antecedents, mediators, moderators, and outcome variables used in silence studies. It reveals that there is a significant gap in the literature on female and “all-gender” silence studies. We find that silence studies focus on positive or negative impacts of silence, or gender aspects, and these studies are mostly conducted in the education, services, and healthcare context. Popular theoretical perspectives include social exchange theory, conservation of resources theory, and the spiral of silence theory. Two thirds of the studies reviewed used quantitative methods, whilst one third used qualitative methods. We propose a future research agenda suggesting empirical and theoretical extensions of the research literature using mixed-method approaches, which includes studying women's and employee silence during major workplace changes, in innovative firms and in a cross-cultural context. This review builds on previous work in the area and suggests a comprehensive road map to summarize the employee silence research and add new streams of research that further investigates the concept of employee silence at an organizational context.
Details
- Title
- Employee silence in an organizational context: A review and research agenda
- Authors
- Leila Lotfi Dehkharghani (Author) - Ferdowsi University of MashhadJustin Paul (Author) - University of Puerto Rico SystemYaghoob Maharati (Corresponding Author) - Ferdowsi University of MashhadJane Menzies (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Publication details
- European Management Journal, Vol.41(6), pp.1072-1085
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.emj.2022.12.004
- ISSN
- 1873-5681
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Business and Creative Industries
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99698398702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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