This research explores how relational antecedents affect voice behavior through psychological safety perception. Contrary to most previous studies on voice behaviors focusing on individual dispositions, this study adopts social network theory and lead...
This research explores how relational antecedents affect voice behavior through psychological safety perception. Contrary to most previous studies on voice behaviors focusing on individual dispositions, this study adopts social network theory and leader-member exchange (LMX) theory to investigate the relationships between friendship network centrality, psychological safety perception, and prohibitive voice in the workplace.
Based on 210 survey responses from four startup organizations, this study found the positive relationship between individuals’ friendship network centrality and their prohibitive voice. Furthermore, this relationship was mediated by psychological safety perception. Although a high-quality LMX was proposed to show a moderating effect on the previous association, this was not supported.
These findings suggest that psychological benefits stemming from strong ties can help individuals talk about concerns and problems in the organization. This research contributes to the voice literature by shedding light on the psychological mechanism that links high-quality relationships and prohibitive voice.