Annals of “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati
Fascicle I. Economics and Applied Informatics
Years XXV – n
o
1/2019
ISSN-L 1584-0409 ISSN-Online 2344-441X
www.eia.feaa.ugal.ro
DOI https://doi.org/10.35219/eai1584040911
Employees’ Expectation and Organizational Silence
Oluwatoyin Frederick IDOWU
ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT
Article history:
Accepted March 2019
Available online April 2019
Aim: The study investigated the relationship between employees’ expectation (EE) and
organizational silence (OS).
Design/Methodology: A survey of one hundred and eight (108) working class Professional
Master Students was carried out eliciting responses through a self- constructed instrument
that has Cronbach alpha of 0.864 and 0.825 reliability values for employees’ expectation
and organizational silence respectively. Both Pearson product moment correlation and
multiple regressions statistics were used to test the stated research hypotheses.
Findings: It was found that employees’ expectations have a strong positive and statistically
significant relationship with organization silence. The indices of employee expectations:
employee control (EC), employee ownership (EO) and employee appreciation (EA)
separately correlate positively and significantly with organization silence. The study also
showed that they are strong predictors of organizational silence except employee control
that is somewhat a weak predictor. In combination however, employee expectation is a
strong, positive and significant predictor of organizational silence. The influence of
employees’ expectations of control, appreciation and ownership explained 30.5% of
organization silence.
Conclusion/recommendation: The study established that the types of organization silence
are not limited to the three existing one of quiescent, acquiescent and pro-social but also
include accrual benefits. Also, the motives for organization silence of resignation, fear and
other-oriented, were extended to include self-oriented benefits.
Research implications: Organization scholars, business owners and researchers should seek
for the expectations of the employees as they contribute to change and work related
improvement in the quest to stem the tide of silence behaviour climate in business
organization.
© 2019 EAI. All rights reserved.
JEL Classification
M11, G12
Keywords:
Employees’ expectation,
Organization silence, Employee
control, Employee ownership,
Employee appreciation
1. Introduction
People as the most precious asset of an organization become so if they bring their creativity,
knowledge, innovation and ideas to bear on the organizations’ work related improvement. Employees’
expression and demonstration of these values bring about rapid and positive changes that suggest success
and survival. Organization success and survival require that workers respond to environmental challenges
committedly (Entezari, 2014), positively and expressively. However workers can remain with an organization
for a considerable long period, carry out their obligations without necessarily carrying the burdens of the
organization. The demand of the ever changing world of work, and its attendant hyper-competition require
that organization keeps in its stable employees that would be responsive to the challenges of the environment
through the expression of their opinions, ideas, and knowledge sharing. (Nikmaram, Yamchi, Shojaii,
Zahrani& Alvani, 2012; Seyyed & Arezoo, 2014; Entezari, 2014).
In spite of the importance of employees as the platform of change and their significance to the
success and survival of the organization, they may individually and collectively deliberately withhold their
opinion on work related improvement or change. This is employees silence (ES). When the silence climate
pervades the whole organization it becomes organizational silence (OS). However, the two are used
interchangeably and in most cases referred to as organizational silence .Organization silence is the motivation
or the powerful forces that engender withholding of information, ideas, or not expressing opinions on
potential work related improvement or change (Van Dyne, Ang & Botero, 2003)
Employees, individually and collectively are in possession of institutional knowledge. They are to
bring this to bear on the work related improvement for organization competiveness growth and survival.
Experientially, employees are continually motivated to withhold their opinions, ideas or information that can
bring about changes that lead to work related improvement. This is as a result of disengaged behaviour, fear
of reprisal and protecting others mistakes including the mistakes of the organization. Such situations suggest
Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos. E-mail address: idowoluwatoyin@gmail.com