Sanctioned for Speaking Up: Peer Punishment of Voice and the Buffering Effect of In-Group Status

Voice research to date has emphasized the important role that supervisors play in voice behavior and the performance-based outcomes of this behavior. As a result, little is known about the role peers play in voice and the negative social consequences of voice behavior. Drawing on social identity theory and social exchange theory, we developed and tested a model examining the relationship between four different voice types (supportive, constructive, defensive, and destructive) and peer instigation of social sanctions (gossip, ostracism, and incivility) dependent upon the in-group status of the voicer. Using a round-robin design in a sample of 130 participants nested within 70 teams in Norway, we found a negative direct effect of supportive voice on social sanctions, but a positive direct effect of challenging and prohibitive forms of voice on social sanctions. Additionally, in-group status buffered voicers against social sanctions from peers at low levels of supportive voice and high levels of constructive, defensive, and destructive voice. Our results demonstrate the costs one can experience as a result of speaking up and highlight the important role that peers, voice types, and the social identity of voicers play in voice behavior.