Military Women and Their Use of Voice in the Workplace

Dr. Arlene McConville

Title: Military Women and Their Use of Voice in the Workplace

Abstract: 
Based on the work of Albert O. Hirschman (1970), this paper centers on the assumption that the use of voice in the workplace is a basic function in which employees attempt to change and improve the current functioning of their organization. However, studies show that not everyone is empowered to use voice in the workplace. Tenure is found to influence employees’ decision to use voice (Ashford & Black, 1996; Bauer, Bodner, Erdogan, Truxillo, & Tucker, 2007). Organizations can benefit from the diversity of ideas, and women bring with them new and different sets of ideas. Therefore, it is important to understand the circumstances in which women are empowered to use their voice in the workplace. As the military aims to be more inclusive of women, understanding the relationship between tenure and voice may be a way for the organizations to hear more from their women employees. The results of this study show that military women with less tenure are more empowered to use their voice than those with much longer tenure.

Link to Research: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318970060_Military_Women_and_Their_Use_of_Voice_in_the_Workplace

Reference: McConville, A. (2017, June). Military Women and Their Use of Voice in the Workplace. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Leadership Association, Rhinebeck, NY. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31762.96967

Author Bio: Dr. Arlene McConville is a retired military veteran and an associate professor at Ashford University. She began teaching in higher education after serving twenty years in the U.S. Coast Guard. Dr. McConville earned a Master of Business Administration in Management from Hawaii Pacific University and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University. Her research interests are in leadership, motivation, and the military.