Organizational Silence: A Barrier to Job Engagement in Successful Organizations

Abstract

Purpose: Although the phenomenon of Organizational Silence (OS) is widely seen in organizations, there is little empirical evidence regarding its nature and components. The purpose of this research is to identify the types of OS and its effects on JE at Menoufia University Hospitals in Egypt.Design/methodology/approach: To assess OS, refer to (OS questionnaire, Schechtman, 2008;Brinsfield, 2009) and JE (JE questionnaire, Rich et al., 2010). Five dimensions of OS are constructed and measured in order to examine their effects on JE at Menoufia University Hospitals in Egypt. Out of the 338 questionnaires that were distributed to employees, 300 usable questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 88%. Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) was used to confirm the research hypotheses. Findings:Results indicate that supervisors' attitudes to silence, top management attitudes to silence and communication opportunities are associated and predict ES behaviour. The research has found that there is significant relationship between OS and JE. Also, the research has found that OS directly affects JE. In other words, OS is one of the biggest barriers to organizational engagement of the employees at Menoufia University Hospitals in Egypt. Practical implications:This research contributes to stimulate scientific research, particularly in terms of testing the model content, as well as studying the research variables and the factors affecting them. In addition, this research pointed to the need for organizations to adopt a culture which encourages and urges employees to speak in the labor issues and the non-silence in order for the administration to be able to realize these issues and try to solve them first hand in order to prevent their aggravation.Originality/value: Although the phenomenon of silence is expected in organizations, there is little empirical evidence in the literature aimed at defining, analyzing, and coping with it. Silence climate has an impact on the ability of organizations to detect errors and learn. Therefore, organizational effectiveness is negatively affected. This research aims to measure the effect of OS on JE. Based on the findings of this research, some important implications are discussed.

Organizational justice and workplace spirituality: Their relation to organizational silence behavior among nurses

“…Moreover, accord-ing to Wang et al, [59] explained that the employees might have chosen to stay silent outweighing the risks associated with being labeled a trouble-maker or being looked down upon by the leaders or fellow co-workers. Also, Nafei [29] reported that the employee silence is considered as particular conduct in which employee chooses to remain quiet and halts giving their view in an organization to remain harmless from any negative results.…”

“…(1) support of silence by top management due to the supervisors' fears of getting negative reactions or their underlying beliefs, (2) lack of communication opportunities, (3) support of supervisor for silence, (4) official authority and (5) employees' fears of getting negative reactions. [29] Organizational silence hurts both the organization and the employees, because it makes them feel that they are not important, are not under control, and that they have lost their confidence, which causing lower levels of employee commitment, internal conflicts, reducing decision-making, and preventing positive or negative reactions to management. It also causes employee demoralization and motivation, absenteeism, and delay which negatively affect individual and organizational activities.…”

The Research on the Voice and Silence Behaviours of Iranian and Turkish Employees According to Their Demographic Characteristics

“…From the point of organizations silence can influence both organizations and employees meanly. Employee Silence occasions unpleasant moods like dissatisfaction, cynisizm, lack of communication and stress (Nafei, 2016). In other words, if voice is refrained proficiency and employee's mentality may be substantially offended.…”

Exploración de la influencia del empoderamiento psicológico en el compromiso laboral entre los empleados que trabajan en organizaciones basadas en el conocimiento: un análisis intermedio del silencio del empleado.

“…Employee silence is a behavior in which employees lack their own actions, apprehensions and recommendations relating to their assigned work (Bastug et al, 2016). Employee silence is a behavior in which employee opts to remain quiet and stops giving opinion in an organization in order to remain safe from consequential outcomes (Nafei, 2016)…”

“…Employee silence is significantly and negatively influenced by psychological empowerment and is significantly and negatively influencing work engagement probably assuming a role of mediator between psychological empowerment and work engagement (Nafei, 2016;Zikai, 2018). In this study relationship of psychological empowerment with work engagement in presence of a mediating varible employee silence is explored in public sector organizations in Sindh.…”