Individuals' psychosocial voice barriers in lean problem-solving teams

PurposeVoice role identification and the psychosocial voice barriers represented by implicit voice theories (IVTs) affect lean team members' prosocial voice behavior and thereby lean team performance. This paper investigates how role definition and IVTs influence individual lean team-members' prosocial voice behavior during lean implementation.Design/methodology/approachThis research was conducted in four case readymade garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh following a mixed-method research approach dominated by a qualitative research methodology. Under the mixed-method design, this research followed multiple research strategies, including intervention-based action research and case studies.FindingsThe findings suggest that voice role perception affects the voice behavior of the individual lean team members. The findings also demonstrate that voice role definition significantly influences individually held implicit voice beliefs in lean teams.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was conducted in four sewing lines in four RMG factories in Bangladesh. There is a need for a cross-sector and cross-country large-scale study that follows the quantitative research methods in different contexts.Practical implicationsThis research contributes to the operations management literature, especially in lean manufacturing, by presenting the difficulties of mobilizing employee voice in lean problem-solving teams. This work provides new knowledge to managers to address challenges and opportunities to ensure decent work and to improve productivity.Originality/valueThis research raises a key issue of employee voice and its influence on lean performance which addresses two critical areas of employee voice behavior in lean teams: team-members' voice role perception and implicit voice beliefs that influence their voice behavior in the workplace, thereby influencing team performance.

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Organizational voice and silence are multidimensional concepts located at two different poles. While there are studies in the literature examining the relationship between organizational silence and loneliness, there are not enough studies on the relationship between organizational voice and loneliness. Within the scope of the “exit, voice and loyalty” model of Hirschman (1970), employees give various reactions to negativities. In this study, the effects of loneliness in the workplace on organizational voice were examined within the scope of the responses of the employees. In line with the purpose of the study, a questionnaire was applied to 330 employees working in Ankara using the convenience sampling method. In the study, "Workplace Loneliness Scale" and "Organizational Voice Scale" were used. Within the scope of the study, the data were analyzed using SPSS 24 and AMOS 24 programs. It was determined that the fit values of the model (CMIN\DF=2.192; GFI=0.879; AGFI=0.848; IFI=0.927; RMSEA=0.060) were found to be between acceptable values. As a result of the analyzes, the emotional deprivation sub-dimension has a positive relationship on the defensive voice (β=.624, p<0.001), while social companionship sub-dimension has a negative relationship on the acquiescent voice (β=-.434, p<0.001) and prosocial voice (β = -.787, p<0.001). In addition, significant differences between variables according to demographic characteristics were examined and recommendations were made for future studies. Key Words: Loneliness in the Workplace, Organizational Voice

Top management commitment and lean team members’ prosocial voice behaviour

Purpose Top management commitment (TMC) and prosocial voice behaviour in Lean teams are vital for the successful Lean implementation. This study aims to investigate how TMC influences Lean team members’ prosocial voice behaviour and how such changed voice behaviour affects the outcome of Lean implementations. Design/methodology/approach The authors have used a qualitative research methodology to examine six dimensions of TMC (communication, involvement, support, empowerment, encouragement and monitoring) in two ready-made garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh. Operational performance was measured by efficiency, quality, value stream mapping, single-minute exchange dies and 5S scores. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) was assessed by acceptable head and back positions, machine safety, use of masks and housekeeping. Findings The findings reveal that TMC influences Lean team members' voice behaviour positively and, thereby, company's performance. Six dimensions of TMC are all critical for mobilizing prosocial voice, which then improves productivity, OHS and enhancing employee capacity and job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications This research involved two sewing lines in two RMG factories in Bangladesh. Cross-sector and large-scale international quantitative research is also needed. Practical implications This research shows how TMC and Lean problem-solving teams can mobilize employee voice. Originality/value Employee voice is a central issue in the implementation of Lean. To the best of the author’s knowledge, for the first time, the authors show how the six dimensions of TMC influence Lean team members’ voice behaviour in the workplace and thereby how prosocial voice affects team performance.

Psychological Safety and Employee Voice in IT Sector: Parallel Mediation Effect of Affective Commitment and Intrinsic Motivation

The study is an attempt to explain the relationship ofpsychological safety on employee voice behaviour byexamining the mediating role of affective commitmentand intrinsic motivation. A questionnaire was distributedamongst 161 IT professionals through conveniencesampling. Mediation Analysis was used to find the effectof the mediators in influencing the relationship betweenpsychological safety and prosocial voice. The resultsuggested psychological safety is parallelly mediated byboth affective commitment and intrinsic motivation,leading to employee prosocial voice. Intrinsic motivationwas found to have a greater mediating effect thanaffective commitment.

Social courage fosters both voice and silence in the workplace

Purpose One of the strongest and most important outcomes of trait social courage is employee voice, but researchers have only studied this relationship with unidimensional conceptualizations of voice. The purpose of this paper is to apply Van Dyne et al.’s (2003) three-dimensional conceptualization of voice, which also distinguishes three dimensions of silence, to provide a nuanced understanding of the relationship of social courage with voice and silence. The authors also test for the moderating effect of three contextual influences: top management attitudes toward voice and silence, supervisor attitudes toward voice and silence, as well as communication opportunities. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a four-timepoint survey with each measurement occasion separated by one week. A total of 134 participants completed all four timepoints. Findings The results support that social courage positively relates to prosocial voice and silence, whereas it negatively relates to defensive voice and silence as well as acquiescent voice and silence. In other words, social courage positively relates to beneficial voice and silence as well as negatively relates to detrimental voice and silence. The results also failed to support any moderating effects, suggesting that the relationships of social courage are very resilient to outside forces. Practical implications These findings both test prior results and discover new relationships of social courage, which can further stress the importance of courage. The authors also draw direct connections between the influence of social courage on the surrounding workplace environment – as well as the influences of the environment on social courage. While the current paper provides insights into social courage, it also directs future researchers toward new insights of their own. Originality/value Courage is an emergent research topic within organizations. While many authors have assumed that courage is important to work, the current paper is among the few to empirically support this notion.