Good mood is no precondition

When superiors appreciate voice particularly

 

 

 

This is a guideline for employees if they want to make their points by voice:

It is a must that their voice is of high quality. Then not only prohibitive voice is also welcomed although most managers like promotoive voice more. It also does not count if their boss is in a good mood or not in that very moment.

What is relevant, too: 1. If employee´s voice may influence whether the superior will keep or – even better – improve his/her position within the organisation. 2. If superiors are open for experience and believe in self-efficacy.

These are the results of a new study by the Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf. And it is even much more beneficial if you think your proposal through and don´t feel tempted to push forward fast and thoughtlessly.

Stumpf, “The influence of Voice quality, voice content, and managers´mood on their evalutations of voice: An experimental investigation”. In: German Journal of Human Resource Management – Zeitschrift für Personalforschung, I – 27. 2024.

 

From the practise:

All good, but what is meant with “quality” when it comes to voice?

Well, it is quality if you get quickly to the point, if you use at least one figure, if you connect your voice to the targets of your organisation and if you present an example vividly.

If your superiors are not known as good feedback-taker, you are better off if you use questions like “Why don´t we do this or that?” – that is more easily accepted than voice like “We need this or that”..

And please do me a favor and don´t forget: drop the benefit for your boss in case your voice is forwarded and elaborated on.