When employee voice backfires: examining how and when employee voice induces workplace deviance

Extant literature has universally demonstrated that employee voice is a positive workplace behavior that is beneficial for organizations. We challenge this consensus by investigating the potential cost of employee voice for organizational ethics. Drawing upon moral licensing theory, we suggest that employees engaging in voice may lead them to develop psychological entitlement (i.e., a belief that they are owed special treatments from the organization), which in turn increases their workplace deviance. Furthermore, we propose that these effects are especially pronounced among employees with higher levels of power distance orientation. Empirical results from a vignette experiment and a multi-wave survey supported our hypotheses. Taken together, our research not only extends the literature on the consequences of voice by revealing the unforeseen perils of voice for organizations, but also delivers important practical implications for managing employee voice.