من به شما هشدار می دهم چرا که شما را دوست دارم: رفتار صدا، شناسایی کارکنان، و رهبری تحول گرا

Voice behavior refers to the behavior that proactively challenges the status quo and makes constructive changes. Previous studies have explored the antecedents of employees' voice behavior, but to whom employees are likely to voice their thoughts has remained rarely examined. We propose that voice behavior is target-sensitive and that there are two types of voice behavior: speaking out (voice toward peers) and speaking up (voice toward the supervisor). Transformational leadership facilitates both speaking out and speaking up. However, it produces effects on employees via different types of employee identifications. Specifically, social identification predicts only speaking out, while personal identification predicts only speaking up. In contrast, affiliative extra-role behavior is less target-sensitive, and transformational leadership influences affiliative extra-role behavior via both social identification and personal identification. We examined our hypotheses by collecting both self-reported and coworker data from 191 Chinese employees in different organizations. Our hypotheses gained general support from the data. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Our study advances the understanding of to whom employees choose to voice and the underlying psychological mechanisms that drive voice behavior in the context of transformational leadership. It provides empirical evidence that employees make the distinction between speaking out and speaking up, and that employees are likely to voice their thoughts toward those whom they identify with. Also, this study lends empirical support to the self-concept leadership theory by finding that transformational leadership exerts influence on follower behavior via both social identification and personal identification. Finally, it calls for the scholars' attention to apply both restricted and generalized social exchange rules to investigate the social exchange relationships within organizations.