Breaking Employee Silence Through Dialogic Employee Communication: Mediating Roles of Psychological Safety and Psychological Empowerment

Abstract

Employee silence, as a distinct behavior that differs from employee voice, might cause serious communication problems in organizational settings. Drawing upon the theoretical perspective of dialogic communication and the organization-public dialogic communication (OPDC) model, this study examined the role of dialogic employee communication from organizational leaders in alleviating acquiescent silence and defensive silence. Psychological empowerment and psychological safety were considered as potential mediators. The results of an online survey of 570 full-time employees in the United States revealed that employees were less likely to engage in acquiescent silence or defensive silence when they perceived dialogic employee communication from their leaders. The findings revealed the mediating role of psychological safety between dialogic employee communication from leaders and employee silence. However, psychological empowerment was not found to be a significant mediator. The theoretical and strategic implications are discussed.