Carriers and Barriers of Voice in Teams: An Investigation into Team Voice and the Role of Team Voice Allies and Resistors in Influencing Voice Outcomes

Abstract

As organisations increasingly rely on teams as foundational work units, understanding how voice unfolds within workgroups and teams has become a critical research topic. Moving beyond traditional, dyadic perspectives on employee voice, this thesis builds one merging perspectives to investigate team voice as a multifaceted and socially embedded process involving multiple actors. In this thesis, I present three empirical studies. In Study1, I conducted a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis of 38 empirical studies on team voice, analysing key antecedents and consequences of team voice including both its promotive and prohibitive content. The results of this first study show that team voice is shaped by team leadership and team climate, and that team voice also influences team performance, team innovation and team viability. Study 2 uses an experimental design to investigate how team members, acting as voice allies or resistors, influence team voice and team wellbeing. The results of this second study showed that teams with voice allies showed higher voice, satisfaction, and positive affect, while teams with resistors showed lower voice and wellbeing. In Study 3, I investigated the intra-individual consequences of enacting voice allyship or resistance. The results of Study 3suggest that there are personal resource consequences to voice allies and resistors in enacting these roles. Overall, by integrating insights across multiple analytical levels and theoretical perspectives, I provide a richer understanding of how voice unfolds within modern, interdependent teams. Theoretically, I extend voice scholarship by highlighting the evolving roles of team members as collective voicers, voice allies, and resistors across both voice-related and emotional dimensions. Practically, I offer actionable insights into how organisations can foster sustainable voice by recognising and supporting the social dynamics that impact team voice and member wellbeing.