These are extreme examples. Yet day to day within organizations, employees
confront issues that put them face to face with the decision of whether to
convey or withhold potentially useful information. Do I speak up or not about
the fact that the sales campaign seems to be failing, that my co-worker is slacking
off, that my boss is making sexist comments? Do I share or keep to myself
ideas for process improvement or opinions about work-related issues that
differ from those being expressed by others? Employees continually face
choices of whether to voice or remain silent about important workplace
issues. Moreover, the ways in which they resolve these choices can have significant
implications for organizational and team performance.