Adopting Underdogs' Ideas Triggers Fairness? When and How Underachievers' Voice Endorsement Promotes Team Voice

Abstract

Previous research on employee voice endorsement has mostly focused on its antecedents. In particular, most scholars seem to consider employee voice endorsement as a factor influencing only the voicers themselves. Thus, they have ignored its interpersonal influences, such as at the team level. The present study explores the influence of underachievers' voice endorsement on team voice. Specifically, we not only examine a boundary condition in this relationship but also develop and test a new construct of supervisors' voice judgment fairness as a mediator. Data from two multi-wave, multi-source surveys show that when underachievers' voice quality is higher (versus lower), the positive relationship between underachievers' voice endorsement and supervisors' voice judgment fairness is stronger, which in turn enhances team voice. These results offer meaningful theoretical implications for the voice endorsement literature and practical implications for organizations.