The purpose of this study was twofold and involved examining the viability of using the Organizational Dissent Scale as an other-report instrument, and developing additional perceptual data related to dissent expression. A sample of 291 people completed survey questionnaire measures of organizational dissent. Equal-sized groups (n = 97) completed either a self-report, a workplace colleague other-report, or an organizational outsider other-report. Results indicated the Organizational Dissent Scale performed reliably as an other-report, but it showed some tendency for social desirability. In addition, findings suggested that certain indicators of proximity to the dissenter reduced discrepancy between self- and other-reports for upward dissent, but not lateral dissent. By comparison, lateral dissent produced the most discrepant reports of dissent expression, while displaced dissent produced the most coherent reports.
AvtgisT. A.Thomas-MaddoxC.TaylorE.PattersonB. R. (2007). The influence of employee burnout syndrome on the expression of organizational dissent. Communication Research Reports, 24, 97-102.
2.
CroucherS. M.BraziunaiteR.HomseyD.PillaiG.SaxenaJ.AgarwalK. (2009). Organizational dissent and argumentativeness: A comparative analysis between American and Indian organizations. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 38, 175-191.
3.
ChungY.MoonH. (2011). The moderating effects of collectivistic orientation on psychological ownership and constructive deviant behavior. International Journal of Business and Management, 6(12), 65-77.
4.
EdwardsA. L. (1970). The measurement of personality traits by scales and inventories. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
5.
FisherR. J. (1993). Social desirability bias and the validity of indirect questioning. Journal of Consumer Research, 20, 303-315.
6.
GansterD. C.HennesseyH. W.LuthansF. (1983). Social desirability response effects: Three alternative models. Academy of Management Journal, 26, 321-331.
7.
GarnerJ. T. (2009a). When things go wrong at work: An exploration of organizational dissent messages. Communication Studies, 60, 197-218.
8.
GarnerJ. T. (2009b). Strategic dissent: Expressions of organizational dissent motivated by influence goals. International Journal of Strategic Management, 3(1), 34-51.
9.
GarnerJ. T. (2012). Making waves at work: Perceived effectiveness and appropriateness of organizational dissent messages. Management Communication Quarterly, 26, 224-240.
10.
GarnerJ. T.WargoM. (2009). Feedback from the pew: A dual-perspective exploration of organizational dissent in churches. Journal of Communication & Religion, 32, 375-400.
11.
HegstromT. G. (1995). Focus on organizational dissent: A functionalist response to criticism. In LehtonenJ. (Ed.), Critical perspectives on communication research and pedagogy (pp. 83-94). St. Ingbert, Germany: Rohrig University Press.
12.
KassingJ. W. (1997). Articulating, antagonizing, and displacing: A model of employee dissent. Communication Studies, 48, 311-332.
13.
KassingJ. W. (1998). Development and validation of the Organizational Dissent Scale. Management Communication Quarterly, 12, 183-229.
14.
KassingJ. W. (2000). Investigating the relationship between superior–subordinate relationship quality and employee dissent. Communication Research Reports, 17, 58-70.
15.
KassingJ. W. (2001). From the look of things: Assessing perceptions of organizational dissenters. Management Communication Quarterly, 14, 443-471.
16.
KassingJ. W. (2002). Speaking up: Identifying employees’ upward dissent strategies. Management Communication Quarterly, 16, 187-209.
17.
KassingJ. W. (2005). Speaking up competently: A comparison of perceived competence in upward dissent strategies. Communication Research Reports, 22, 227-234.
18.
KassingJ. W. (2007). Going around the boss: Exploring the consequences of circumvention. Management Communication Quarterly, 21, 55-74.
19.
KassingJ. W. (2008). Consider this: A comparison of factors contributing to expressions of employee dissent. Communication Quarterly, 56, 342-355.
20.
KassingJ. W. (2009). In case you didn’t hear me the first time: An examination of repetitious upward dissent. Management Communication Quarterly, 22, 416-436.
21.
KassingJ. W. (2011). Dissent in organizations. Cambridge, UK: Polity.
22.
KassingJ. W.ArmstrongT. A. (2001). Examining the association of job tenure, employment history, and organizational status with employee dissent. Communication Research Reports, 18, 264-273.
23.
KassingJ. W.ArmstrongT. A. (2002). Someone’s going to hear about this: Examining the association between dissent-triggering events and employees’ dissent expression. Management Communication Quarterly, 16, 39-65.
24.
KassingJ. W.AvtgisT. A. (1999). Examining the relationship between organizational dissent and aggressive communication. Management Communication Quarterly, 13(1), 76-91.
25.
KassingJ. W.DiCioccioR. (2004). Testing a workplace experience explanation of displaced dissent. Communication Reports, 17(2), 111-120.
26.
KassingJ. W.McDowellZ. (2008). Talk about fairness: Exploring the relationship between procedural justice and employee dissent. Communication Research Reports, 25(1), 1-10.
27.
KlaasB. S.DeNisiA. S. (1989). Managerial reactions to employee dissent: The impact of grievance activity on performance ratings. Academy of Management Journal, 22, 705-717.
28.
LakeyS. G.CanaryD. J. (2002). Actor goal achievement and sensitivity to partner as critical factors in understanding interpersonal communication competence and conflict strategies. Communication Monographs, 69, 217-235.
29.
MorandD. A. (1996). Dominance, deference, and egalitarianism in organizational interaction: A sociolinguistic analysis of power and politeness. Organizational Science, 7, 544-556.
30.
NicoteraA. M. (1996). An assessment of the argumentativeness scale for social desirability bias. Communication Reports, 9(1), 23-35.
31.
OetzelJ. G. (1998). The effects of self-construals and ethnicity on self-reported conflict styles. Communication Reports, 11(2), 133-144.
32.
O’FallonM.ButterfieldK. (2011). Moral differentiation: Exploring boundaries of the “Monkey See, Monkey Do” perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 102, 379-399.
33.
ParkC.KeilM. (2009). Organizational silence and whistle-blowing on IT projects: An integrated model. Decision Sciences, 40, 901-918. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5915.2009.00255.x
34.
PodsakoffP. M.OrganD. W. (1986). Self-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects. Journal of Management, 12, 531-544.
35.
SomersM.CasalJ. C. (2011). Type of wrongdoing and whistle-blowing: Further evidence that type of wrongdoing affects the whistle-blowing process. Public Personnel Management, 40(2), 151-164.
36.
SiasP. M. (2009). Organizing relationships: Traditional and emerging perspectives on workplace relationships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
37.
SpitzbergB.HechtM. (1984). A competent model of relational competence. Human Communication Research, 10, 575-599.
38.
TaylorE.CurtisM. (2009). Whistleblowing in public accounting: Influence of identity disclosure, situational context, and personal characteristics. Accounting and the Public Interest, 9, 191-220.
