Individuals' psychosocial voice barriers in lean problem-solving teams

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abdul Latif ◽  
Jan Vang ◽  
Rebeca Sultana
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Role Perception ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Problem Solving Teams ◽  
Prosocial Voice

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.

Top management commitment and lean team members’ prosocial voice behaviour

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abdul Latif ◽  
Jan Vang
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Value Stream Mapping ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Top Management Commitment ◽  
Six Dimensions ◽  
Prosocial Voice

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.

Creative problem-solving techniques, paradigm shift and team performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 451-466
Author(s):  
Tony Proctor
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Thinking Styles ◽  
Team Composition ◽  
Creative Problem Solving ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Creative Problem

Purpose This paper aims to consider why creative problem-solving techniques may not always produce useful results and sets out to explain why this might be and what steps should be taken to avoid it happening. The paper provides an understanding of how different creative problem-solving techniques are best suited to gaining insights into problems requiring different degrees of paradigm shift. It argues that team members’ personalities and thinking styles and team composition should be taken into account when using the techniques. It examines the role the facilitator plays in planning and conducting the ideation process. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides simple illustrations of some of the creative problem-solving techniques. It reviews relevant literature and argues how individual differences of team members along with team composition can influence team performance in using the creative problem-solving techniques. Findings Personality, thinking styles and learning styles are relevant to the effective use of creative problem-solving techniques. Team composition, team motivation and mood factors should also be taken into account. The facilitator is key in ensuring the efficacy of the problem-solving process. Originality/value This paper will be helpful to academics who study creative problem-solving as well as informing management practitioners and trainers about the procedures and potential pitfalls to avoid.

How team voice contributes to team performance: an empirical investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Changqing He ◽  
Jun Song ◽  
Jin Yang ◽  
Zhi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Social Information Processing ◽  
Team Learning ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Team Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

PurposeAlthough voice behavior is important for team performance, scholars have yet to identify its underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. Using the theory of social information processing (SIP), this study explores how and when team voice influences team performance by considering team learning as a mediator and contingent reward transactional (CRT) leadership as a moderator.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a survey in China using a questionnaire to collect the data. The study sample consisted of 78 leaders and 441 employees nested in 78 teams.FindingsResults showed that team voice was positively related to team performance. The results also proved that the positive relationship between team voice and team performance was mediated by team learning. Additionally, CRT leadership enhanced the effect of team voice on team learning.Practical implicationsFirst, managers should consider individuals high in voice behavior when selecting team members. Second, leaders need to focus on enhancing the learning process. Third, the authors’ findings suggest that when selecting persons as team leaders, managers should pay additional attention to their leadership style.Originality/valueThe primary contribution of this study is that the research sheds light on the specific team process (i.e. team learning), through which team voice is related to team performance. Moreover, the current study deepens the authors’ understanding of the role of leadership in the voice process by identifying the moderating role of CRT leadership.

Exploring the impact of abusive supervision on employee' voice behavior in Chinese construction industry: a moderated mediation analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naseer Abbas Khan ◽  
Ali Nawaz Khan
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Psychological Climate ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the impact of abusive supervision on employees' voice in China's construction industry. Moreover, the authors explore the mediating role of ethics-related self-efficacy and work engagement and the moderating influence of psychological climate in explaining the association between abusive supervision and employee voice behavior.Design/methodology/approachThis study used data in pairs collected from 402 supervisors and employees of construction companies in Anhui, China. In this study, the authors used the time-lag approach to collect data in three-time waves from different respondents. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was applied to test the hypothesized model.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that there is a significant association between abusive supervision and employee voice. Moreover, the results indicated that work engagement mediated the association between abusive supervision and employees' voice. In contrast, self-efficacy did not mediate the link between abusive supervision and employee voice. Furthermore, results also show that the contingent effect of psychological climate significantly influences the mediating effect of work engagement.Originality/valueThis study also has implications for the construction industry, allowing managers to create a favorable working atmosphere in which employees can reinforce their voices at work.

The role of supervisors on employees’ voice behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
SuJin Son
Keyword(s):  
Social Information Processing ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Information Processing Theory ◽  
Processing Theory ◽  
Moderating Factors ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeDrawing on social learning theory and social information processing theory, the purpose of this study is to examine how perceived supervisor’s voice behavior relates to employees’ own voice behavior both directly and indirectly through trust in supervisor. In particular, this study also investigates the moderating role of gender in the relationship between trust in supervisor and employee voice behavior. Further, this study proposes that gender moderates the indirect effect of perceived supervisor’s voice behavior on employee voice behavior via trust in supervisor.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed hypothesis was tested by using hierarchical regression analyses and Hayes’ PROCESS macro.FindingsThe results show that perceived supervisor’s voice behavior is positively related to an employee’s own voice behavior and trust in supervisors. In particular, trust in supervisors mediates the relationship between perceived supervisor’s voice behavior and employee’s own voice behavior. Additionally, the relationship between trust in supervisor and employees’ voice behavior was stronger for female employees.Originality/valueThe current study investigates employees’ perception of immediate supervisor’s voice behavior that encourages employees to speak up, thereby providing a more nuanced understanding of the factors that facilitate employee voice behavior. In particular, this study advances the understanding of how and why employees’ perception of supervisors’ voice behavior relates to employees’ voice behavior by examining the mediating and moderating factors.

Efficacy beliefs and employee voice: the role of perceived influence and manager openness

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Prince ◽  
M.K. Rao
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Influence At Work ◽  
Managerial Openness ◽  
Prohibitive Voice

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore how and when an employee's belief in their voice self-efficacy leads to promotive and prohibitive voice behavior. By banking on social cognitive theory, this study examines perceived influence at work as a mediator and managerial openness as a moderator in the link between voice self-efficacy and the two forms of voice.Design/methodology/approachThis study's data come from 285 Indian information technology (IT) employees by adopting a cross-sectional survey design. The effect of moderator and mediator is examined by employing structural equation modeling in AMOS 22.FindingsThe results reveal that perceived influence at work partially mediates the positive link between voice self-efficacy and the two forms of voice behaviors. The test of moderation also exposes that prohibitive voice is more contingent on managerial openness as compared to promotive voice.Originality/valueThis is one of the initial studies to explore perceived influence at work as a mediator in the association between voice self-efficacy and employee voice behavior. The treatment of voice as a bidimensional construct in this study discloses the difference between the two forms, contributing to the voice literature and inviting further research.

Cultural values, entrepreneurial team structure and performance of SMEs

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Bashokuh-E-Ajirloo ◽  
Bahman Khodapanah ◽  
Mehdi Alizadeh ◽  
Mehdi Ebrahimzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Team Structure ◽  
Entrepreneurial Teams ◽  
Reliability Indicator ◽  
Entrepreneurial Team ◽  
And Performance

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to explain the relationship between members' cultural values on structure and performance of the entrepreneurial teams that located in Tehran.Design/methodology/approachData used in this study are collected by a questionnaire distributed among managers and other executive members of SMEs located in Tehran. One hundred and thirty-nine participants completed the questionnaires, and their responses were analyzed using partial least squares technique. Measures showed good convergent and discriminant validity. Furthermore, Cronbach's alpha, as reliability indicator for all measures, is at the acceptable level.FindingsResearch finding shows that all hypothesis supported in Iran contex. Entrepreneurial team members' cultural values have positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial team structure. Entrepreneurial team members' cultural values have significant effect on the entrepreneurial team performance and also, the structure of the entrepreneurial team has a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial team performance.Originality/valueThese studies mostly focused on technical dimensions of entrepreneurial teams and overlooked the cultural values of their members.

Interpersonal antecedents to employee upward voice: mediating role of psychological safety

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 1510-1525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sriji Edakkat Subhakaran ◽  
Lata Dyaram
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Psychological Safety ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Manager Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Despite the increasing prominence of employee voice in organizational innovation and productivity, employees continue to struggle to influence matters that affect them at work. The purpose of this paper is to model work group context and manager behavior as the predictors of employee upward voice. Further, a mediating role of employee psychological safety is examined in this link. Design/methodology/approach With data from 575 employees representing various technology firms in India, the authors test the hypothesized relationships using covariance-based structural equation modeling. Findings Results indicate coworkers upward voice and manager pro-voice behavior to significantly impact employee upward voice with a mediating impact of psychological safety. This implies that perceived psychological safety plays a significant role in explaining the impact, coworkers and manager behavior would have on regulating employee upward voice. Originality/value This study contributes to the employee voice literature from an Indian context, where upward communication is culturally discouraged.

Supportive leadership, proactive personality and employee voice behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mervat Mohamed Elsaied
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Psychological Safety ◽  
Proactive Personality ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Supportive Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Immediate Supervisor

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of psychological safety in the relationships among supportive leadership, proactive personality and employee voice behavior. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 268 employees, and 56 were their immediate supervisors, in three Egyptian companies belonging to footwear and headgear sector. Employees and their immediate supervisors provided data on separate questionnaires and different occasions; an identification number was used to match each employee’s questionnaire with the response of his/her immediate supervisor. Findings The results indicated that both supportive leadership and proactive personality had a positive and significant effect on voice behavior. In addition, the results showed that psychological safety fully mediated the relationships among supportive leadership, proactive personality and employee voice behavior. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by linking supportive leadership, proactive personality and employee voice behavior. It clarifies how and why supportive leadership and proactive personality can stimulate voice behavior.

High-commitment work systems and employee voice

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 811-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junwei Zhang ◽  
Muhammad Naseer Akhtar ◽  
Yajun Zhang ◽  
Yasin Rofcanin
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Support ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Work Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Integrate Research

Purpose Although scholars have suggested that employees often carefully consider social contexts before enacting voice, few studies have explored whether firms foster employee voice behavior by adopting a set of systematic HR practices, namely, high-commitment work systems (HCWS). By integrating the literature on HCWS and voice, the purpose of this paper is to explore the mechanisms of how HCWS utilization influences employee voice. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted multilevel analyses with HLM software to examine the research hypotheses. The authors collected data from a sample of 290 employees and 58 line managers from 11 software design and development firms in China. Findings HCWS utilization positively affected employee-experienced HCWS which enhanced psychological safety and perceived organizational support, and in turn employee voice behavior. In addition, HCWS utilization positively influenced employee-experienced HCWS, and subsequently increased voice efficacy. However, contrary to the expectations, voice efficacy was not related to employee voice. Originality/value The study is the first to integrate research on HCWS and voice. By building on the theory of planned behavior, the authors provide new insights into the relationship between HCWS utilization and employee voice and inspire researchers to elucidate other explanatory mechanisms in this link.

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