Individual voice in informal and formal contexts in organizations

The concept of voice applies to a wide range of behaviors and situations, from informally offering opinions to influence organizational decisions, to formally discussing performance appraisal and development evaluations. In this chapter, the authors draw on theory and research from organizational behavior to examine voice from the perspective of the individual. They examine the individual’s willingness to express voice in both informal contexts (for example, within work groups, in interactions between employees) and formal contexts (for example, expressing voice in performance appraisal and performance management settings). Finally, the authors develop a model of willingness to express voice in formal and informal context and use this model to make suggestions regarding future voice research.