The (un)speaking self: an identity-based model for employee voice and silence

Abstract The literature on employee voice and silence has typically explored these behaviors as being motivated by calculative-instrumental purposes (what will I gain/lose if I volunteer information?). I argue that voice and silence are social-functional behaviors that are embedded within everyday interactions at work, and I draw on social identity theory to propose an identity-based model of employee voice and silence (how does speaking up affect my definition of who I am?). The presented model explains how individuals can volunteer information or remain silent by preserving or restructuring their sense of self in the face of identity threats. I also explore the conditions for each identity-based speaking behavior and offer contributions to both the Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations literature on employee voice and silence.

摘要 现有关于员工建言与沉默的研究文献，通常将这两类行为的驱动动因归结为计算-工具性目的，即个体在考量主动提供信息后将获得何种收益或蒙受何种损失。本文提出，建言与沉默实为嵌入日常工作互动场景的社会功能性行为，并依托社会认同理论（Social Identity Theory）构建了基于身份认同的员工建言与沉默模型，该模型的核心探讨问题为：直言发声将如何影响个体对自身身份的界定？该模型阐释了个体在面临身份威胁时，如何通过维系或重构自我身份认知，来选择主动建言或保持沉默。此外，本文还探讨了各类基于身份认同的发声行为的适用条件，并为员工建言与沉默主题的组织行为学（Organizational Behavior）与劳动关系（Industrial Relations）领域的相关研究贡献了理论增量。