Impact of Strategic Human Resource Management and Leadership on Employee Voice and Silence Behaviors: A Systematic Literature Review

The recent research aims to explore how the interplay of leadership and human resource practices influence employee voice and silence approaches in a corporate context. The majority of the research has predominantly focused on examining the role of leadership or HR practices separately in managing employee voice and silence. Hence, the major purpose of this study involves looking at research published over the previous decade (2013–2023) which has investigated the interplay of leaders’ roles and HR procedures in managing employee voice and silence. A systematic literature review technique was applied, and the studies were reviewed using the PRIMSA methodology. Data were acquired using a database called Scopus. The findings showed that interplay of leaders and HR strategies positively impacted employee voice and lowered employee silence. Alternatively, it was revealed that abusive bosses and human resource procedures together had a detrimental impact on employee voice as well. Furthermore, analyzed research revealed that despite having the presence of excellent HR practices, if the leaders/managers are uncivilized, then merely the presence of HR procedures does not exclude the likelihood of silence. Hence, leaders appeared as the most powerful influencers for employee voice.