Employee voice enhances work performance via innovation

Abstract

In the rapidly evolving knowledge economy, proactive communication serves as a strategic information lifeline for organizational adaptability and performance. This study aims to examine the impact of employee voice behavior (EVB) on individual work performance (IWP) through the mediating mechanism of innovative work behavior (IWB) within the Vietnamese information technology (IT) sector. Utilizing a quantitative research design, data were collected from 284 full-time IT professionals in Vietnam and analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results confirm that EVB significantly enhances IWP, with all primary hypotheses supported at a high level of statistical significance (p < 0.001). Notably, EVB exerts a powerful positive influence on IWB (β = 0.689), which subsequently acts as a pivotal mediator (β = 0.341) that transforms proactive intellectual inputs into tangible performance outcomes. The study concludes that fostering a climate of open communication is essential for driving innovation, refuting the view that East Asian cultural values entirely stifle creativity. Practical implications suggest that IT organizations should cultivate psychological safety and institutionalize digital feedback mechanisms within agile frameworks to effectively convert employee insights into substantive technical improvements and sustainable competitive advantage.