When saying nothing means everything: reframing silence as an ethical gift in organizations

Purpose This paper reframes organizational silence as an ethically meaningful gift rather than a sign of fear or disengagement. Building on Levinasian responsibility, Maussian gift theory and Derrida’s reflections on the gift, the authors refine existing understandings of silence by positioning it as intentional, relational and non-reciprocal. The purpose of this paper is to challenge speech-centered models and highlight silence as a form of moral presence in organizational life. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual refinement. The authors reinterpret existing literature on organizational silence through ethical and philosophical perspectives and develop a normative typology of silent gifting − attentive, space-giving and supportive silence. The typology is presented as an interpretive heuristic rather than an empirically testable model, clarifying the conditions under which silence may function as a relational form of giving in organizations. Findings Silence can express moral commitment by enabling attentiveness, creating relational space and offering tacit support. Reframing silence as a gift challenges dominant assumptions that equate ethical action with speech, showing that silence may also foster responsibility, legitimacy and care in organizations. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual contribution, the framework does not aim for immediate empirical generalization but rather refines ethical interpretation in organizational silence research. Future studies may explore how silent gifting is recognized, misrecognized or appropriated across different organizational and cultural contexts. Originality/value This paper introduces silence-as-gift as a conceptual refinement of organizational silence. By clarifying its ethical meaning and typology, it expands the vocabulary of moral agency in organizations beyond voice-centric perspectives.