The Curvilinear Relationship Between Job Control and Voice: Role of Emotional Resistance to Change and Supervisor Developmental Feedback

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to delve into the underlying mechanism and contextual boundary condition of the U-shaped relationship between job control and voice at the episode level within the framework of conservation of resources theory. Adopting a two-wave experience sampling method, this study collected 265 matched cases nested in 53 Chinese employees for 5 consecutive days. By hierarchical linear regression, the U-shaped effect of job control on voice at the episode level was replicated. Furthermore, the mediating role of emotional resistance (ER) to change and to the moderating role of supervisor developmental feedback (SDF) was examined. Job control has a U-shaped effect on day-level voice and an inverted U-shaped effect on trait ER, which mediates the curvilinear relationship between job control and day-level voice. Daily SDF moderates the curvilinear relationship between job control and day-level voice such that daily SDF buffers the negative relationship between low job control and day-level voice, as well as amplifies the positive relationship between high job control and day-level voice. The current study unveils the mediating states and contextual boundary conditions of the curvilinear relationship between job control and day-level voice by testing the mediating role of ER and moderating role of SDF at the episode level, thereby further contributing to the literature on voice.