Impact of self-leadership on employee voice behavior: a moderated mediating model

Abstract

Current studies have focused on exploring the impact of self-leadership on in-role outcomes, while research on extra-role outcomes is limited. Will the self-leadership skills of employees work beyond themselves to transfer the positive state to the organization or their colleagues? This study explores this field and enriches the research on extra-role outcomes of self-leadership. Based on self-determination theory, this research verifies the mechanism of self-leadership on employee voice, with thriving at work as a mediator and job characteristics (expressed as the motivating potential score) as a moderator. Using a three-wave survey of 405 nurses, the results of confirmatory factor analyses show that the data fit of the hypothetical five-factor measurement model is acceptable and we find that (1) self-leadership is positively associated with thriving at work, (2) thriving at work is positively associated with promotive and prohibitive voice, (3) thriving at work mediates the relationship of self-leadership on voice behavior, and (4) job characteristics moderate the relationship between self-leadership and thriving at work, such that this relationship is stronger for employees with a poor job characteristic. Implications of these observations for theory and practice are also discussed.

Appendix 1

Measures of Core Constructs

Self-leadership.

Behavior Awareness and Volition (BAV)

• 1. I establish specific goals for my own performance.

• 2. I make a point to keep track of how well I’m doing at work.

• 3. I work toward specific goals I have set for myself.

Task Motivation (TM)

• 4. When I have successfully completed a task, I often reward myself with something I like.

• 5. Sometimes I picture in my mind a successful performance before I actually do a task.

• 6. I visualize myself successfully performing a task before I do it.

Constructive Cognition (CC)

• 7. Sometimes I talk to myself (out loud or in my head) to work through difficult situations.

• 8. I try to mentally evaluate the accuracy of my own beliefs about situations I am having problems with.

• 9. I think about my own beliefs and assumptions whenever I encounter a difficult situation.

Proactive personality

• 1. No matter what the odds, if I believe in something I will make it happen.

• 2. I am constantly on the lookout for new ways to improve my life.

• 3. Wherever I have been, I have been a powerful force for constructive change.

• 4. Nothing is more exciting than seeing my ideas turn into reality.

• 5. If I see something I don’t like, I fix it.

• 6. I love being a champion for my ideas, even against others’ opposition.

• 7. I excel at identifying opportunities.

• 8. I am always looking for better ways to do things.

• 9. If I believe in an idea, no obstacle will prevent me from making it happen.

• 10. I can spot a good opportunity long before others can.

Thriving at work.

Learning latent factor.

• 1. I find myself learning often.

• 2. I continue to learn more as time goes by.

• 3. I see myself continually improving.

• 4. I am not learning (R).

• 5. I am developing a lot as a person.

Vitality latent factor.

• 1. I feel alive and vital.

• 2. I have energy and spirit.

• 3. I do not fell very energetic (R).

• 4. I feel alert and awake.

• 5. I am looking forward to each new day.

Motivating potential score.

Skill Variety.

The job requires me to do many different things at work, using a variety of my skills and talents.

The job requires me to use a number of complex or high-level skills.

The job is quite simple and repetitive (R).

Task Identity.

The job is a complete piece of work that has an obvious beginning and end.

The job provides me the chance to completely finish the pieces of work I begin.

The job is arranged so that I do not have the chance to do an entire piece of work from beginning to end (R).

Task Significance.

The results of my work are likely to significantly affect the lives or well-being of other people.

This job is one where a lot of other people can be affected by how well the work gets done.

The job itself is not very significant or important in the broader scheme of things (R).

Autonomy.

The job permits me to decide on my own how to go about doing the work.

The job gives me considerable opportunity for independence and freedom in how I do the work.

The job denies me any chance to use my personal initiative and judgment in carrying out the work (R).

Feedback.

Doing the job itself provide me with information about my work performance.

Just doing the work required by the job provides many chances for me to figure out how well I am doing.

The job itself provides very few clues about whether or not I am performing well (R).

Promotive voice/Prohibitive voice.

Promotive voice.

• 1. Proactively develop and make suggestions for issues that may influence the unit.

• 2. Proactively suggest new projects which are beneficial to the work unit.

• 3. Raise suggestions to improve the unit’s working procedure.

• 4. Proactively voice out constructive suggestions that help the unit reach its goals.

• 5. Make constructive suggestions to improve the unit’s operation.

Prohibitive voice.

• 1. Speak up honestly with problems that might cause serious loss to the work unit, even when/though dissenting opinions exist.

• 2. Advise other colleagues against undesirable behaviors that would hamper job performance.

• 3. Dare to voice out opinions on things that might affect efficiency in the work unit, even if that would embarrass others.

• 4. Dare to point out problems when they appear in the unit, even if that would hamper relationships with other colleagues.

• 5. Proactively report coordination problems in the workplace to the management.