Implementation matters: when voice endorsement attenuates future voice and leads to deviant silence

Purpose Drawing from appraisal theories of emotion, this research develops and tests a model in which voice non-implementation following endorsement elicits voicers' feelings of disappointment and anger, thereby leading to decreased future voice and increased deviant silence as their coping behaviors, respectively. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a scenario-based experiment among 156 employees in China and a 2-wave field study among 325 employees in the UK. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 27 and Mplus 8.3. Findings The results suggest that voice non-implementation following endorsement is positively related to voicers' feelings of disappointment and anger, which, in turn, lead to their decreased future voice and increased deviant silence, respectively. However, high levels of leader–member exchange could buffer these adverse effects of voice non-implementation. Originality/value This research extends current knowledge on the downstream impact of voice endorsement by considering the possibility of voice non-implementation. This research also contributes to a broader understanding of voicers' affective and behavioral reactions to voice non-implementation following endorsement.