How and when group cohesion influences employee voice A conservation of resources perspective

Purpose This study examines how and when group cohesion influences employee voice. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprises 215 employees from 41 workgroups in China. Multilevel path analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results show that group cohesion is positively related to employee voice. Group psychological safety mediates the positive relationship between group cohesion and employee voice. Further, high cohesion strength enhances the association of group cohesion with employee voice as well as the mediating effect of group cohesion on voice behavior through group psychological safety. Research limitations/implications - This study employs a cross-sectional design and does not establish causal relationships among the variables examined. This study offers research implications because it adds to our knowledge on the situational antecedents of voice behavior. Practical implications - The findings suggest that group cohesion plays an important role in influencing employee voice. To encourage employees to speak up, managers should pay attention to group cohesion in terms of both cohesion level and strength. Originality/value This study is the first to examine the mechanism and condition of the effect of group cohesion on employee voice, thus extending knowledge on the situational factors influencing voice behavior.