How organizational cultures shape social cognition for newcomer voices

Abstract Drawing on cue consensus theory and status characteristics theory, we argue that the consensus between newcomer voice (challenging vs. supportive) and organizational culture (individualistic vs. collectivistic) leads to observers' social cognition of warmth or competence. Based on two survey studies and two experiment studies, we found that individualistic organizational culture strengthens the positive relationship between challenging voice and perceived competence and that voice constructiveness mediates this moderating effect. We also found that collectivistic organizational culture strengthens the positive relationship between supportive voice and perceived warmth, and prosocial motivation mediates this moderating effect. Focusing on consistent cues between voice and organizational culture, our research contributes to the voice literature, answering when and how both newcomer challenging voice and supportive voice can lead to perceived warmth and competence. Our results offer both theoretical implications and practical insights for employees and organizations.