Employee voice and silence in multinational corporations in the mobile telecommunications industry in Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore employee voice and silence in the mobile telecommunication industry in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory qualitative case study methodology was employed in this study. Participant selection was done through a purposeful intensity sampling technique, which resulted in 30 employees from two different multinational organizations and an indigenous organization taking part in in-depth interviews. Findings Findings show the presence of fear of victimization in the Nigerian workplace embellished by the Sub-Saharan culture and the state of the labor market, which resulted in employee silence. The study revealed that the implementation of culturally adapted employee voice mechanisms within organizations in the mobile telecommunication industry in Nigeria promotes employee voice and organizational performance, whereas a lack thereof results in organizational failure. Research limitations/implications A limitation is that the purposive sample of employees from three organizations in the mobile telecommunications industry only permits theoretical and analytic generalization. Practical implications A focus on the co-creation of a high-performance work environment and the development of a powerful employee value proposition would foster employee voice. Social implications It will enable multinationals operating in Nigeria understand better how to operate employee voice in order to obtain optimal performance from workers in Sub-Sahara Africa. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on employee/industrial relations by showing that a high-power-distance national culture and a high unemployment rate affect employee voice and silence, which brings to the fore the importance of adequate employee voice mechanisms through which employees express their voice in order to arrive at beneficial individual and organizational outcomes.

Investigating the relationship between managerialist employment relations and employee turnover intention

“…Nevertheless, according to Anakwe (2002), consensus approach to HRM in Nigeria that is proclaimed by Nigerian organisations is rather flawed (Otobo, 2016) as well as mere rhetoric (Oruh et al, 2018). In recent studies on Nigeria, both Emelifeonwu and Valk (2019) and Siyanbola and Gilman (2017) argue that managerial oriented organisational practices in Nigeria have given rise to managerially propelled decisions that do not recognise inputs from employees leading to voice silence and turnover. Specifically, Siyanbola and Gilman's (2017) study unpacks ''the extent of employee turnover in Nigerian SMEs'' (p. 967), which is replicated across board in both private and public organisations (Fajana et al, 2011).…”

Leaders’ accounts on employee voice in the Indian context: an exploratory study

“…Contrary to the literature which highlights employees placing employer interests above their own in collectivist cultures (Mellahi, Budhwar and Li 2010;Park and Kim 2016), our study notes an increasing tendency of employees voicing their own interests. Likewise, while most collectivist cultures highlight the significance of collective voice (Emelifeonwu and Valk 2019;Huang, Weng and Hsieh 2016), Indian organisations seem to evidence individualistic employee voice through informal channels. We believe the present qualitative exploration has contributed towards some of the emerging voice themes in Indian firms, facilitating theory by building on the limited indigenous management scholarship within employee voice literature.…”

Relationship between organisational silence and employee demographic characteristics: the case of Lithuanian teachers

“…Organisational silence is a topic, which should be considered vital by all organisations. The phenomenon is researched in different fields of economic activity, such as the public sector (Behtoui et al, 2017), health care (Yalçin & Baykal, 2019), accommodation services (Zhang et al, 2019), finance (Adeel & Muhammad, 2017), telecommunications and technologies (Emelifeonwu & Valk, 2019), and the heavy industry (Dedahanov & Rhee, 2015). The analysis of scientific literature revealed a lack of research into the manifestation of organisational silence in the sector of education.…”