The relational aspect of leadership and coordination mechanisms to encourage voice behaviours within cooperatives

The purpose of this study is to explore how employee loyalty affects employees’ challenging voice behaviours, focusing on the indirect effects of two important organisational elements, such as leadership and coordination mechanisms. A sample of 301 members of 19 worker cooperatives from Italy is empirically analysed to test the hypotheses. The results illuminate the relationship between employee loyalty and voice, by considering different challenging voice orientations. Moreover, providing additional evidence about the central role of the relationship between employees and leadership in influencing employees’ behaviours, this study provides a valuable addition to the literature on voice as it shows coordination of work activities as a relevant relational mechanism that allows employees’ expression through interaction and relations. Finally, the findings enrich the literature on cooperatives by providing evidence of the importance of the relationships and interactions regarding leadership aspects and the coordination of daily activities for facilitating individuals’ challenging voice behaviours.