Speaking out and speaking up in multicultural settings: A two-study examination of cultural intelligence and voice behavior

Adopting a voice instrumentality perspective, we argue that cultural distance between the person speaking up and the voice targets will dampen voice behavior because of uncertainty surrounding what is appropriate and effective voice behavior. We further propose that cultural intelligence (CQ) mitigates this negative relationship and advance a mediated moderation model where the interactive effect of cultural distance and CQ on voice is mediated by perceived voice instrumentality. We test our hypotheses in teams (Study 1) and in supervisor-subordinate dyads in a global organization (Study 2). Results demonstrate that cultural distance is negatively related to speaking up to supervisor (Study 2), but not to speaking out to peers (Study 1). However, across both studies, individuals with low CQ engage in less voice to culturally distant voice targets than those with high CQ. In addition, results of Study 2 support mediated moderation and demonstrate that cultural distance has a negative indirect relationship with voice, via perceived voice instrumentality, only for individuals with low CQ. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our study for voice behavior in culturally diverse settings.