Imagined Interactions With the Boss: Upward Dissent and Defensive Silence in Organizations

Abstract

Imagined interactions (IIs) are conversational daydreams communicators can use to envision how interactions might unfold prospectively or how they might have unfolded differently in retrospect. In this study, imagined interactions with the boss (IIB) were investigated alongside employees’ upward dissent and silence. Analyses of survey responses from U.S. working adults ( N = 322) revealed that three functions (rehearsal, relationship management, and compensation) and three characteristics (frequency, proactivity, and specificity) of IIB were associated with various upward dissent or defensive silence strategies. The general pattern of findings indicated that when employees reported rehearsal or relationship management IIB, they tended to select communicatively-competent dissent strategies (e.g., prosocial dissent). The study is the first of its kind to associate IIB with upward dissent selection. Implications for theory and practice conclude the paper.