Narrative Practices
Our research on narrative practices investigates how employees use language to navigate organizational norms, respond to power dynamics, and make meaning of their experiences within professional settings. Here are some examples of our lab members’ published work on narrative practices:
*Barnes, L. Y., *Lacerenza, C. N., & Volpone, S. D. 2024. Becoming a right-hand partner: How lower-power employees heedfully challenge organizational leaders. Academy of Management Journal, 67(3): 704–736.
*Shared first authorship
[UTD24 Publication; TAMGU Publication; FT50 Publication]
Summarized Contribution:
The study examines how lower-power employees can effectively speak up to powerful leaders—a situation fraught with risk due to power asymmetries. It conceptualizes this upward communication as heedful challenging, a nuanced, relationally attentive form of voice that balances assertiveness with deference. Rather than framing voice simply as direct expression, we show that successful voice in these contexts requires sensitivity to timing, framing, and leader receptivity. This redefines employee voice not just as what is said, but how and when it is voiced to maintain influence and preserve relationships.
*David, E. M., *Volpone, S. D., Avery, D. R., Johnson, L. U., & Crepeau, L. 2024. Am I next? Men and women's divergent justice perceptions following vicarious mistreatment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 109(7): 1039–1058.
*Shared first authorship
[TAMGU Publication; FT50 Publication]
Summarized Contribution:
This work shows that when employees observe coworkers being mistreated—especially those similar to themselves—they respond in ways that indicate the foundational conditions of psychological climate have been undermined, and so these results can be understood as workplace conditions that are barriers to employee voice. That is, employees may infer that challenging the status quo or advocating for change could make them targets of mistreatment, as well. In this sense, the study indirectly explains why employees may withhold voice because of concern for self-preservation in an unsafe climate.
Employee Voice
Our research on voice examines how employees use language to articulate identity and express values in the workplace. When employees speak up, they narrate their own perspectives in relation to traditional organizational structures, cultures, and norms.
Avery, D. R., McKay, P. F., Wilson, D. C., Volpone, S. D., & Killham, E. A. 2011. Does voice go flat? How tenure diminishes the impact of voice. Human Resource Management, 50(1): 147–158.
[FT50 Publication]
Summarized Contribution:
Although studies have shown that the opportunity to provide input (voice) leads to more favorable employee reactions, fewer studies have examined the boundary conditions for the effect of voice on worker outcomes. Building upon Greenberg and Strasser’s (1986) model of personal control in organizations, results show that the beneficial effects of voice on employee attitudes may decrease as employees accrue tenure with their employer. As such, this study is directly situated within the employee voice literature and makes a novel contribution by examining how the effectiveness of voice changes over time with tenure.
Hernandez, M., Avery, D. R., Volpone, S. D., & Kaiser, C. 2019. Bargaining while Black: The role of race in salary negotiations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(4): 581–592.
[TAMGU Publication; FT50 Publication]
Summarized Contribution:
Across three studies, we theorize and find that Black job seekers are expected to negotiate less than their White counterparts and are penalized in negotiations with lower salary outcomes when this expectation is violated. At its core, salary negotiation is a proactive act of employee voice—an attempt by employees to express their needs and assert value. This study shows that Black job seekers who attempt to negotiate are perceived more negatively than White counterparts engaging in the same behavior, especially when making competitive offers. This effectively discourages voice by making the act of speaking up for one’s worth riskier for Black individuals.
Volpone, S. D., & Avery, D. R. 2013. It’s self-defense: How perceived discrimination promotes employee withdrawal. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 18(4): 430–448.
Summarized Contribution:
Using three national samples, we found that perceived discrimination based on race, sex, age, family obligation, and sexual orientation related to physical withdrawal indirectly through psychological withdrawal. Though employee voice is traditionally framed as the discretionary expression of ideas, concerns, or suggestions, these results demonstrate how reduced engagement (forms of protective silence, a sub-type of employee voice) stifles voice when employees retreat from environments where their identities are devalued.
Lyons, B. J., Volpone, S. D., Wessel, J. L., & Alonso, N. M. 2017. Disclosing a disability: Do strategy type and onset controllability make a difference. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(9): 1375–1383.
[TAMGU Publication; FT50 Publication]
Summarized Contribution:
The study investigates two types of disclosure strategies that reflect different ways individuals present and manage their social identities in relation to workplace norms and expectations: identity integration (proactive disclosure aimed at building authenticity and trust) and disclaimer strategies (disclosure aimed at managing stigma and minimizing perceived threats). At its core, the act of disclosing a disability is an intentional identity management decision. The study also examines how onset controllability—whether others perceive the disability as self-inflicted or uncontrollable—affects observer reactions. From an identity management perspective, this reflects the social framing of stigmatized identities, where individuals must anticipate and respond to audience attributions that can either affirm or undermine their self-concept and workplace legitimacy.
Employee Identity Management
Our research on identity management explores how employees use language to construct, perform, and negotiate personal narratives that help them and others make sense of who they are at work.
Lyons, B. J., Volpone, S. D., Wessel, J. L., & Alonso, N. 2017. Should you disclose an invisible disability in a job interview? London School of Economics Business Review.
Summarized Contribution:
This work features the Lyons, Volpone, et al. (2017) publication that describes how applicants who identify as hard of hearing actively shape how others perceive them by choosing a specific disclosure tactic during an interview. Two disclosure tactics are described: Challenging stereotypes (Embracing the disability by framing it positively; “My hearing impairment has helped me overcome challenges”) and distancing (Minimizing association with the disability; “I’m not like other people with hearing impairments”.