The Positive and Negative Effects of Social Status on Ratings of Voice Behavior: A Test of Opposing Structural and Psychological Pathways

Sijun Kim, Elizabeth Mcclean, Sarah P. Doyle, Nathan P. Podsakoff, Eric Lin, Todd Woodruff

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

We examine how social status—the amount of respect and admiration conferred by others—is related to leader ratings of team member voice. In a field study using 373 West Point cadets nested in 60 squads, we find that there are two countervailing pathways linking social status to leader voice ratings: A positive structural path via instrumental network centrality and a negative psychological path via perceived image risk. In addition, we show that these relationships are contingent upon a relational moderator, such that highquality team interpersonal relationships weakened the positive indirect effect via instrumental network centrality but strengthened the negative indirect effect via image risk. Two post hoc experiments provided preliminary support for our arguments that perceived image risk causes people to deliver their voice in a manner that is more acceptable to recipients and ruled out several alternative explanations. The results of our multilevel analyses shed new light on how, why, and when social status impacts leader ratings of voice.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)951-967
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Applied Psychology
Volume107
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 21 2021

Keywords

  • Image risk
  • Network centrality
  • Social status
  • Team interpersonal relationship quality
  • Voice behavior

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology

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