关键词: 工具主义伦理气氛, 犬儒主义, 传统性, 沉默行为

Abstract: Abstract Given the severe environment with intense competition and unpredictable technology changes, increasing number of organizations realize that employees should be encouraged and cultivated to speak up. However, employee silence is pervasive in modern organizations and has become an issue critical to organization management. To address this question, we built a moderated mediation model on employees’ silence behavior based on the analysis of Social Control Theory. Specifically, our study examined the partial mediation effect of cynicism on the relationship between instrumental ethical climate and employee’s silence behavior. We also focused on the traditionality and predicted that it moderated the mediation effect of cynicism. We collected data from an eastern province of People’s Republic of China. 382 survey questionnaires were distributed to the 31 companies located in Yangtze River Delta, covering high technology, manufacturing, education, etc. In the end, 342 employees returned the questionnaires (response rate was 89.53%). After screening out the problematic cases, the final sample consists of 308 employees. 48.38% were male, 51.62% were female; the most age range from 25-30 years old (41.23%); the most had the diploma of junior college (38.96%) and undergraduate (31.17%). To examine the distinctiveness of the study variables, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis by using AMOS 7.0. We also employed multiple regression analysis to test the mediated moderation model by using SPSS 13.0. Based on the social control theory, this study proposed and tested a moderated mediation model in which instrumental ethical climate influences silence behavior, with cynicism as a mediator and traditionality as a moderator. The results showed that 1) instrumental ethical climate was positively related to the employee’s silence behavior; 2) instrumental ethical climate was positively related to the cynicism; 3)the cynicism partially mediated the relationship between instrumental ethical climate and employee’s silence behavior; 4) the traditionality moderated the relationship between cynicism and employee’s silence behavior; 5) the traditionality moderated the mediated relationship through the cynicism, that is, the higher traditionality, the stronger the mediated relationship. Our findings contribute to employee’s silence behavior literature. By drawing on social control theory, our study revealed the mediating role of cynicism in the relationship between instrumental ethical climate and employee’s silence behavior. These two negative factors broke through the research status quo, which broaden the boundary of researches on employee’s silence behavior. In addition, we considered the interactive effects of situational factors (instrumental ethical climate), psychological factors (cynicism) and individual factor (traditionality) by integrated an individual factor (traditionality) into it as a moderator, so that we could explain the comprehensive mechanisms fully and systematically. In terms of practical implications, managers should make efforts to curb instrumentalism ethical climate by creating a fair and aggressive environment with team spirit and taking the initiative to care about employee’s well-being. In this way, organizations are likely to set an example about showing consideration for others, so that employees will express their ideas that are beneficial to others. Secondly, according to other scholars, organizations can monitor and prevent employee cynicism through cautious layoffs, perfect compensation management system and effective employment career system, and then avoid silence behavior. Finally, managers must identify the level of traditionality. For the employees with high level of traditionality, managers shouldn’t emphasize personal authority and in their interactions with them to decrease their concern about speaking up, and should ask their recommendations about decision-making in order to build their confidence. Further, managers also should promote the affections among workers and the relationships between employees and organizations, thus making the traditional employees speak up with less worry.

Key words: Instrumental ethical climate, Cynicism, Traditionality, Employee silence behavior