The Effects of Psychological Safety on Employee Voice Behavior. An Overview of the Current State of Research

Literature Review from the year 2021 in the subject Psychology - Work, Business, Organisational and Economic Psychology, grade: 1,7, Maastricht University, language: English, abstract: This review provides an overview of the current state of research on the relationship between psychological safety and employee voice. Psychological safety is a key factor in understanding why and when employees express their opinions, share ideas, and make suggestions for improvement, which is critical to organizational learning. Over the past years, a growing body of research has examined the relationship between perceived psychological safety and employee voice behavior. Several studies demonstrated that employees are more willing to speak up when they feel safe in their work environment. Moreover, it has been shown that psychological safety reduces employee silence to some extent. Regarding the indirect effects of psychological safety, research has found that different leadership styles, behaviors, and attitudes influence perceived psychological safety, which in turn predicts whether employees engage in upward voice. Furthermore, psychological safety has been shown to mediate the effects of proactive personality congruence, peer influence, and status on employee voice. However, further studies still need to address some important questions. By giving directions for future empirical research on this topic, this review aims to contribute to a better understanding of the link between psychological safety and voice behavior.