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Speaking Up about Workplace Safety: An Experimental Study on Safety Leadership

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Bazzoli

    (Department of Psychology, Washington State University Vancouver, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
    Leeds School of Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK)

  • Matteo Curcuruto

    (Leeds School of Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK)

  • James I. Morgan

    (Leeds School of Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK)

  • Margherita Brondino

    (Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria, 17, 37129 Verona, Italy)

  • Margherita Pasini

    (Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria, 17, 37129 Verona, Italy)

Abstract

In this study, we test whether different types of safety leadership styles predict different employees’ change-oriented discretionary communications about safety (i.e., safety voice) after controlling for proactive personality disposition to improve organizational sustainability. Building upon a multidimensional model of safety voice, which attempts to conceptualize different ways in which employees make suggestions about safety procedures, we developed four realistic scenarios in which we manipulated the supervisor’s safety leadership style, including: (1) transformational safety leadership, (2) transactional safety leadership, (3) passive safety leadership, and (4) control group (i.e., no leadership at all). We randomly assigned 103 participants to two of four scenarios and measured four facets of safety voice and proactive personality dispositions. The findings showed that after controlling for the respondents’ proactive personality, transformative safety leadership predicted promotive safety voice, transactional safety leadership predicted preventive safety voice, and passive safety leadership predicted hostile safety voice. These findings have a number of implications for our understanding of safety leadership and employees’ safety communications.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Bazzoli & Matteo Curcuruto & James I. Morgan & Margherita Brondino & Margherita Pasini, 2020. "Speaking Up about Workplace Safety: An Experimental Study on Safety Leadership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-22, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:18:p:7458-:d:411754
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Noort, Mark C. & Reader, Tom W. & Gillespie, Alex, 2019. "Speaking up to prevent harm: a systematic review of the safety voice literature," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 100774, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    5. Martin Grill & Kent Nielsen & Regine Grytnes & Anders Pousette & Marianne Törner, 2019. "The leadership practices of construction site managers and their influence on occupational safety: an observational study of transformational and passive/avoidant leadership," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(5), pages 278-293, May.
    6. Inmaculada Silla & Francisco J. Gracia & José M. Peiró, 2020. "Upward Voice: Participative Decision Making, Trust in Leadership and Safety Climate Matter," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-17, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ling Hu & Tai-Wei Chang & Yue-Shi Lee & Show-Jane Yen & Chih-Wen Ting, 2023. "How Does Sustainable Leadership Affect Environmental Innovation Strategy Adoption? The Mediating Role of Environmental Identity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-12, January.
    2. Reader, Tom W., 2022. "Stakeholder safety communication: patient and family reports on safety risks in hospitals," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114624, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Stanley Y. B. Huang & Kuei-Hsien Chen & Yue-Shi Lee, 2021. "How to Promote Medium-Sized Farms to Adopt Environmental Strategy to Achieve Sustainable Production during the COVID-19 Pandemic?," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-8, October.

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