The Impact of Organizational Silence on Job Attitudes: A Study on Pharmaceutical Industry in Egypt

Purpose: There is little empirical evidence regarding the nature and components of OS. So, the purpose of this research is to identify the impact of Organizational Silence (OS) on Job Attitudes (JA) at the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach: To assess OS, refer to (OS questionnaire, Schechtman, 2008; Brinsfield, 2009), JS (JS questionnaire, Judge et al., 2001; Best & Thurston, 2004) and OC (OC questionnaire, Allan & Meyer, 1990; Meyer, et. al., 1993). Five dimensions of OS are constructed and measured in order to examine their effects on JA at the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt. Out of the 356 questionnaires that were distributed to employees, 315 usable questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 88%. Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) was used to confirm the research hypotheses. Findings: Results indicate that supervisors’ attitudes to silence, top management attitudes to silence and communication opportunities are associated and predict employee silence behaviour. The research has found that there is a significant relationship between OS and JA. Also, the research has found that OS directly affects JA at the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt. Practical implications: This research pointed to the need for organizations to adopt a culture which encourages and urges employees to speak in the labor issues and the non-silence in order for the administration to be able to realize these issues and try to solve them first hand in order to prevent their aggravation. Originality/value: There is little empirical evidence in the literature aimed at defining, analyzing, and coping with silence. It has an impact on the ability of organizations to detect errors. Therefore, this research aims to measure the effect of OS on JA. Based on the findings of this research, some important implications are discussed