Managing Insidious Barriers to Upward Communication in Organizations: An Empirical Investigation of Relationships Among Implicit Voice Theories, Power Distance Orientation, Self-Efficacy, and Leader-Directed Voice

December 3, 2025

Craig Robert Starbuck | 2016

Abstract

Organizations whose employees can freely voice ideas, suggestions, and problems to decision makers have a competitive advantage in effectively navigating the vicissitudes of today’s hyper-competitive business environment. Studies have amassed considerable evidence related to individual and contextual influences to explain why members of organizations often choose to withhold rather than speak up to superiors. An emerging stream of research has shown that employee silence may stem from self-protective implicit voice theories (IVTs): taken-for-granted rules of self-censorship (Detert & Edmondson, 2011). Building on prior research, this study investigated IVTs, individual power distance orientation, problem-solving self-efficacy, and creative self-efficacy as predictors of leader-directed voice using data collected from 1,032 employees (individual contributors: n = 696; supervisors: n = 336) in an investment firm. This study also tested problem-solving and creative self-efficacy as moderators of the relationships between IVTs and individual power distance orientation with leader-directed voice. All hypotheses were tested with supervisor-reported voice as the dependent variable and compared in post-hoc tests with self-reported voice as the criterion. Two tests using supervisor-reported voice were significant: the don’t embarrass the boss in public IVT was a significant predictor of voice beyond the controls, and the interaction effect of the need solid data or solutions to speak up IVT with creative self-efficacy was significant, though it masked a pattern of amplified negative impact antithetical to the hypothesized nature of moderation. Post-hoc analyses using self-reported voice as the criterion variable revealed that the composite IVTs scale, all individual IVTs apart from the don’t embarrass the boss in public IVT, problem-solving self-efficacy, and creative self-efficacy were significant predictors of voice beyond the control set. In addition, creative self-efficacy attenuated the negative effects of both the presumed target identification and don’t embarrass the boss in public IVTs on self-reported voice. Additional post-hoc testing, theoretical and practical implications, and limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Request Information

"*" indicates required fields

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Online or On Campus*

Online

On Campus

On Campus Degree Type*

Online Degree Type*

Choose a Program*

This program is designed for registered nurses looking to advance their degree. A valid, unencumbered RN license is required to apply.

RN License Confirmation*

I currently hold a valid RN license

Don't have your RN license yet? Explore other Regent programs.

High School Graduation*

Are you an employee or the spouse/dependent of an employee?*

Employee

Spouse/Dependent

Are you a JCI USA member or benefitted employee, or the spouse/dependent of an employee?*

Employee/Member

Spouse/Dependent

Email Address*

Company*

Agency*

Employee's Company*

Employee's Agency*

Company Email Address*

Agency Email Address*

Your Email Address*

Employee's Company Email Address*

Employee's Agency Email Address*

Employee's First Name*

Employee/Member's First Name*

Employee's Last Name*

Employee/Member's Last Name*

Your Email Address*

First Name*

Last Name*

I live outside the US

Address*