The curvilinear effect of negative affect on voice behavior from the perspective of activation theory

Does negative affect help or hinder voice behavior? Research is increasingly highlighting the more complex effects of negative affect and we propose that its relationship with voice is similarly multifaceted. Drawing from activation theory, this paper argues that the relationship between negative affect and voice behavior is an inverted U-shape. Three studies are designed to test our hypotheses. At the between-person level, Studies 1 and 3 use employee-supervisor matched dyads (N = 209; N = 150; respectively) at two different time points. Study 2 collects 217 daily data points from 58 participants and tests the inverted U-shaped hypothesis at the within-person level. Findings from these studies provide support for our hypotheses that voice behavior is highest when employees experience moderate-level negative affect but that extremely high and low levels of negative affect hinder voice behavior. In study 3 we also found that the inverted U-shaped relationship between negative affect and voice behavior is only prominent when the need for change is higher. Our findings have implications in revealing the complex nature of negative affect in determining voice behavior.