Being heard versus being adopted: the consequential effect of two types of managerial responses to voice on voice and silence

Purpose Managerial responses to employee voice have garnered significant scholarly attention. However, existing research has primarily focused on the factors leading to such responses while giving limited attention to their outcomes. In this study, we integrated two distinct managerial reactions, voice endorsement and supervisory responsiveness. We framed these reactions as employee voice experiences and adopted a model of proactive motivation to explore how these experiences influence subsequent employee voice and silence behaviors through two alternative pathways: role breadth self-efficacy (i.e. the “can do” motivation) and positive affect (i.e. the “energized to do” affective state). Design/methodology/approach Researchers conducted a two-wave field survey involving 215 subordinates and their 42 direct supervisors. A multi-level path analysis was used to examine the hypothesized research model. Findings The results indicate that employee experiences of voice endorsement affect role breadth self-efficacy. Role breadth self-efficacy, in turn, influences both voice and silence behaviors. In contrast, employee experiences of voice responsiveness influence voice and silence behaviors only through positive affect. Originality/value This study extends the scope of existing literature on employee voice/silence by introducing subordinates’ voice experiences based on managerial reactions as an additional predictor of their subsequent behaviors. Moreover, by incorporating a model of proactive motivation and employing its “can do” and “energized to do” motivations as two intervening mechanisms, this study underscores the distinction between having one’s voice heard and truly adopted.