Effect of Psychological Ownership on Employee Defensive Voice in IT Services Organisations: The Moderating Role of Power Distance Orientation

Abstract

The relationship between psychological ownership (PO) and defensive voice to supervisor, and the moderation of this relationship by power distance orientation (PDO) are not examined in current research. To reduce harmful defensive voice to supervisor in organisations, it was examined if PO (job or organisation) is negatively related to defensive voice to supervisor. As research reports that PDO affects different predictor–employee voice relationships, the moderating effect of PDO on PO (job or organisation)–defensive voice to supervisor relationship was examined. Survey method and judgement sampling were employed for data collection from 349 information technology (IT) services employees in India. Confirmatory factor analysis and moderated hierarchical regression were used for analysis. PO (job or organisation) was found to be negatively related to defensive voice to supervisor, and PDO moderated this relationship such that high PDO employees express lower defensive voice to supervisor than low PDO employees.

Keywords

• defensive voice to supervisor
• psychological ownership
• power distance orientation
• information technology services