University Essay: Critical Analysis of Employee Voice in Leadership

This essay critically analyzes two articles on employee voice in leadership and management. The first article, "The contours of employee voice in SMEs: the importance of context," examines the impact of context on employee voice in small businesses, emphasizing the relationship between employee relations and HRM. The second article, "Shooting From The Hip: A Habit Perspective Of Voice," focuses on the psychological and habitual aspects of employee voice. The essay compares and contrasts the central theses, arguing that both articles contribute to understanding employee voice's importance for organizational development. The analysis highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each article, including the need for further research on contextual factors and the application of psychological frameworks. The essay concludes by emphasizing the relevance of both articles in understanding employee voice and its implications for future research and practice. The essay also discusses the research methodologies employed, noting that the first article uses qualitative data collection and analysis while the second article relies on theoretical arguments.

Running head: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Leadership And Management
Name of the Student-
Name of the University-
Author note-

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Aiming to understand the aspect of employee voice in the two articles, the essay will
undertake a critical evaluation of the two articles. The following paragraphs will argue that
understanding the aspect of employee voice is crucial to enable the overall development of the
organizations. The following paragraphs will delve deeper into a critical analysis of the relevant
notions present in the two readings. Following a sequence, the critical essay will summarize and
critically evaluate the central thesis of each article and their interrelationship.
Analysis of the articles
In the first article, “The contours of employee voice in SMEs: the importance of context”
by Gilman, Raby and Pyman, the authors emphasize upon the notions related to the voice of
employees in small business enterprises (Gilman, Rabyand Pyman 2015). The central thesis of
the article is that the factor of employee voice needs to be researched in a comprehensive manner
to gauge the impact of the work context in the perpetration of the employee voice. The article
also emphasizes upon the aspect of the manner in which the interactions between resources and
constraints can shape the voices. Recent studies reveal that employee voice is one of the most
important aspects in business enterprises. A closer analysis of the given article will project that
the major theme revolves around the relationship between employee relations and the HRM in
the context of employee voice.
In their article, “Shooting From The Hip: A Habit Perspective Of Voice”, by Lam, Rees
Levesque and Ornstein, the authors have harped upon the ideas related to habit as the prime
contributing factor in the employee voice (Lam et al. 2018). The article also discusses about the
psychological perspective on the generation of voice decisions of the employees. The central
thesis of the article is that the habit perspective serves to shed light on the situational factors and
habits in relation to employee voice. Recent studies project the notion that the psychological

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perspective for expression of voice forms a crucial part. The similarities in both the article lies in
the fact that both the articles strive to discuss about the important issues of employee voice in
business enterprises. On a critical note, the articles are similar in their projection of the central
theme and approach. In addition to this, the articles project the importance of gauging the
relevance and practice of employee voice in the enterprises. Following a lucid and systematic
manner, the articles delves deeper into the topic concerned. The original point of differentiation
in the two articles is vested in the idea that while the first article discusses about the need for
further research in employee voice, the second article sheds light on the psychological and
habitual traits of voice.
Comparative analysis
It can be said that the articles differ in terms of the central arguments presented by the
author. While the first article argues for the various interactions and the need for further research
in employee voice, the second argues for the framework of individual, situational and habit
perspective related to employee voice. It can be contested that the two arguments are valid to a
certain extent. It can be debated that the arguments can be read in terms of the other studies.
Though the arguments are valid and applicable, it can be said that the two articles can include
other aspects related to employee voice in business organizations.
An in-depth analysis of the two articles will project that they strive to present the theme
of employee voice through the usage of different techniques. The central argument of the authors
in the first article have been explored through the contextual approach. It is seen that an in-depth
discussion of the factor of employee voice through an analysis of the relevant and prevalent
literature assists the article in understanding the need to research about employee voice in SME
context (Gilman, Rabyand Pyman 2015). Recent studies justify the notion that the factor of

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employee voice needs to be explored to trace the areas that need improvement. The article
focusses on the discussion of the results that point towards the employee voice activities in
various small enterprises. The results depict that employee voice depends upon the factor of
managerial prerogatives. The article presents that employee voice is also marred by the lack of
contributing factors. One of the major strengths of this article is that it discusses about the
relevant case studies in order to justify the former arguments established at the very outset.
However, the weakness of this article is vested in the fact that it does not endeavor to shed light
on the exact need for research. The strength of this article also lies in its incorporation of the
possible solutions such as reappraisals of constraints (Gilman, Rabyand Pyman 2015). However,
the limitations of the arguments presented lies in the fact that employee voice also depends on
certain personal factors.
The articles are similar in the depiction of the underlying assumptions of the knowledge
about the employee voice. The implicit assumptions of the articles are directed towards the
audience of management students. The articles are different from each other in depicting the
central idea. The second article is a continuation of the first. It continues to delve into the
psychological nuance of the habit of voice expression (Lam et al. 2018). The second article
focusses on the discussion of the arguments through an evaluation of the nature of voice habit.
Unlike the former article, the second article gives voice to the definition of the various notions
related to employee voice. The strength of this article is that it provides a comprehensive
description of the contributing factors in employee voice (Lam et al. 2018). Unlike the previous
article, this article does not conjure examples from case studies. One of the major strengths of the
second article is that conjures theoretical assumptions and ideas to elaborate the central idea.

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However, the argument of the authors is limited due to its limited scope. Recent studies justify
the idea that the incorporation of theoretical perspectives assist in proper analysis of topics.
The psychological perspective of the habitual voice of employees is limited in its
application. On the other hand, the first article provides ample scope for further research to
develop in relation to the work environment convivial for employee voice. The second article
also sheds light on the foundational assumption of the automatic speaking without other
considerations. Additionally, the second article also discusses about the contingency frameworks
for the analysis of the thesis statement. The two articles are dissimilar in the aspect of elaboration
of the related ideas. It can be said that the second article provides an in-depth portrayal of the
relevant aspects. However, it is limited due to the lack of credible references to real business
organizations.
It can also be mentioned that the two articles can be compared in terms of the
methodology employed. Recent studies project the notion that a concrete research methodology
is useful in approaching the research in a systematic and coherent manner. While reading the first
article, the readers can perceive the concrete language and direct tone of the article. Employing a
direct style, the article conveys the main idea in a lucid manner. On the other hand, the second
article employs a theoretical notion and presents the arguments in a highly academic manner. A
scrutiny of the articles will project that the first article incorporated the research methodology of
qualitative data collection and qualitative analysis. The qualitative analysis is conducted over
five case studies. Whereas, the second article does not incorporate any concrete research method
for the collection of data (Lam et al. 2018). The second article chiefly focusses on the
elaboration of the ideologies associated with employee voice. Though the second article refers to
the ideas of other authors, it does not incorporate any concrete methods.

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Summary of the analysis
After analyzing and evaluating the two articles, it can be reflected that although the two
articles harbor certain disconsolate ideas, the articles share the similar temperaments and themes
related to employee voice in business organizations. According to my opinion, the two articles
are relevant in the depiction of the important areas that are prevalent in the employee voice. I
think that the articles could have been improved if the authors had focused on the presentation of
the relevant ideas in a sequential manner. It can also be reflected that while comparing the two
articles, I had stumbled upon the central thesis of each article. The central statements of each
article has been justified throughout the body of the articles. For example, the thesis of the first
article emphasizes upon the inter-relational aspects and scope for further research. I think that
this has been justified in the article. In the second article, the central thesis is also justified till the
end. The implications and consequences of the assigned readings are vested in the future avenues
that are opened by the articles. The first article opens the avenue for the further research on the
work environment and the employee voice. The future implications of reading the second article
is that it opens the avenue for the applicability of the theoretical research frameworks in the
employee voice. I think that the two articles are relevant in understanding the concepts related to
employee voice.
It can be concluded that the ideas presented in the two articles can be compared and
collated to form a concrete notion of the topic.

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References
Gilman, M., Raby, S. and Pyman, A., 2015. The contours of employee voice in SMEs: the
importance of context. Human Resource Management Journal, 25(4), pp.563-579.
Lam, C.F., Rees, L., Levesque, L.L. and Ornstein, S., 2018. Shooting from the hip: A habit
perspective of voice. Academy of Management Review, 43(3), pp.470-486.