Why didn't you tell me the truth? ＂Report Only Good News＂ - exploring factors of biased reporting in the workplace

• Published in: Corporate Management Review Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 125 - 170
• Main Authors: Shu-Ching Chang(張淑卿), Yu-Ha Cheung(張雨夏), Hung-Chieh Yen(顏鴻傑), Jen-Wei Cheng(鄭仁偉), Shih-Hao Lu(呂志豪)
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: Taiwan 國立陽明交通大學管理學院 31.12.2024; National Chiao Tung University, College of Management
• Subjects: Accountability; Communication; Corporate culture; Corporate management; Decision making; Discriminant analysis; Employee behavior; Feedback; Perceptions; Transparency; Employee voice behavior; 員⼯建⾔⾏為; 報喜不報憂; 量表發展; qualitative approach; report only good news; 質化研究; scale development
• ISSN: 1028-7310; 1028-7310
• DOI: 10.53106/102873102024124402004

In many organizations, employees only report good news to their supervisors and fail to highlight potential problems or concerns, in order to maintain harmonious interpersonal relationships and avoid discomfort in communication. We explored this topic using two studies. Study 1 used a qualitative approach to explore constructs of employee silence and voice. Three concepts emerged from our analysis, including the dimensions of selective expression, downplaying, and ostensible expression. These concepts are significant as they form the basis of our scale development in Study 2. Based on these concepts, we developed a nine-item scale, which was validated using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The practical and theoretical implications of our results are discussed.