The Impact of Dissent and Workplace Freedom of Speech on Employees’ Well-Being
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THE IMPACT OF DISSENT AND WORKPLACE FREEDOM OF SPEECH ON EMPLOYEES’ WELL-BEING A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science By Blessing Ekene Okafor In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major Department: Communication June 2019 Fargo, North Dakota North Dakota State University Graduate School Title THE IMPACT OF DISSENT AND WORKPLACE FREEDOM OF SPEECH ON EMPLOYEES’ WELL-BEING By Blessing Ekene Okafor The Supervisory Committee certifies that this disquisition complies with North Dakota State University’s regulations and meets the accepted standards for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: Dr. Catherine Kingsley Westerman Chair Dr. Cheng Zeng Dr. Pamela Emanuelson Approved: June 21, 2019 Dr. Stephenson Beck Date Department Chair ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of dissent and workplace freedom of speech on employees’ well-being (subjective, psychological and workplace well-being). Data for the study were collected through an online survey distributed to employees of various organizations. The findings revealed that upward dissent was positively related to subjective well-being (consisting of life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect), psychological well-being, workplace wellbeing, and workplace freedom of speech. Lateral dissent was positively related to negative affect, workplace well-being and negatively related to life satisfaction and positive affect. However, there was no relationship between lateral dissent and psychological well-being. Workplace freedom of speech was positively related to psychological well-being and workplace-wellbeing. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed. Keywords: dissent, workplace well-being, subjective well-being, psychological well-being, workplace freedom of speech iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I must thank my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Catherine Kingsley Westerman who has been a constant source of guidance, whose patience and professional expertise throughout the project was unparalleled. I owe much of what I have learned and retained to her and her mentorship. I thank my thesis committee members: Dr. Cheng Zeng, and Dr. Pamela Emanuelson. Your excellent guidance, encouragement, support, and motivation throughout the process are most appreciated. I appreciate Dr. Charles Okigbo who was a constant source of support for me both professionally and personally right from the beginning of my program to the very end, he was very reliable. I also thank the faculty and staff at the department of communication. Every time that I walked through the hallway or sought out assistance, I was always greeted with smiles and encouragement. With a grateful heart I wish to acknowledge the love and support of my friends, and colleagues, who helped me to get to the finish line. Thanks to Seseer MouDanha and Muhabbat Yakubova who were always there to cheer me up and answer my numerous questions. When I joined the master’s program, four others joined me as part of my cohort. I thank Sara, Sammyjo, Olivia, and Taylor for the laughs and camaraderie My unalloyed appreciation goes to my lovely mum, Mrs. Grace Okafor. She has been a source of my drive towards learning. She will always encourage me to keep raising the bar and breaking boundaries. I appreciate my father, Mr. Godwin Okafor who has been very supportive. Without the support of my parents, my achievements both academically and in other facets of life iv would not be possible. I wish to thank my siblings, Godwin, Kingsley and Juliet for being a constant source of inspiration and encouragement throughout my life. Lastly, my profound gratitude goes to numerous authors whose works I have cited in this research work. v DEDICATION This work is dedicated to God Almighty, for giving me the grace to finish strong. And to my wonderful parents, Mr. and Mrs. Godwin Okafor for their invaluable support. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ x INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 4 Organizational Dissent ................................................................................................................ 4 Dissent triggering events ......................................................................................................... 5 Dissent goals ............................................................................................................................ 6 Dissent audiences .................................................................................................................... 6 Workplace Freedom of Speech ................................................................................................. 10 Employee Well-Being ............................................................................................................... 11 Subjective well-being ............................................................................................................ 13 Workplace well-being ........................................................................................................... 17 Psychological well-being....................................................................................................... 19 METHOD ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Participants ................................................................................................................................ 24 Procedures ................................................................................................................................. 24 Measures .................................................................................................................................... 25 Organizational dissent ........................................................................................................... 25 Workplace freedom of speech ............................................................................................... 25 Subjective well-being ............................................................................................................ 26 Positive and negative affect ................................................................................................... 26 vii Workplace well-being ........................................................................................................... 27 Psychological well-being....................................................................................................... 27 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 28 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................... 31 Overview ................................................................................................................................... 31 Life Satisfaction ........................................................................................................................ 31 Positive Affect ........................................................................................................................... 31 Negative Affect ......................................................................................................................... 32 Workplace Well-Being .............................................................................................................. 33 Psychological Well-Being ......................................................................................................... 34 Workplace Freedom of Speech ................................................................................................. 34 Lateral Dissent ........................................................................................................................... 35 Practical and Theoretical Implications ...................................................................................... 36 Limitations and Future Directions ............................................................................................. 36 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 38 APPENDIX A. KASSING (2000) ORGANIZATIONAL DISSENT MEASURE...................... 50 APPENDIX B. GORDEN AND INFANTE’S (1991) WORKPLACE FREEDOM OF SPEECH MEASURE...................................................................................................................