A Communicative Model of Voicing: The Processes and Strategies of Constructive Employee Voicing in the Renewable Energy Industry in Kenya

Purpose: This study investigates the phases of voicing processes and associated communicative strategies in the context of the renewable energy industry in Kenya. Data collection and findings: Drawing on in-depth interviews (N =23), we propose a communicative model of voicing that consists of the fundamental voicing phases of ideating, planning, initial enactment, reflexive enactment, and outcome. These phases are co-constructed in ongoing interactions among organizational members, challenging the assumption that voicing is an individual, one-shot endeavor. From the perspectives of both supervisors and subordinates, our findings unveiled a spectrum of communication strategies utilized throughout the voicing phases. Implications: Our study advances voice scholarship by reconceptualizing constructive employee voice as an interactive, ongoing, and processual communicative act. Further, our findings contribute to voice scholarship by elucidating: (a) how voicers navigate the risks associated with voicing, (b) how power and status disparities influence the choice of communication strategies across the voicing phases, and (c) the ways voicers’ peers contribute to the voicing process. Our study offers practical insights for voicers, voicers’ peers, recipients, and organizations into how to cultivate effective and meaningful voicing.