PERSONALITY AS A KEY DETERMINANT OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL SILENCE IN IRANIAN STARTUPS

65 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen PERSONALITY AS A KEY DETERMINANT OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL SILENCE IN IRANIAN STARTUPS Seyedeh Samaneh Seyedi1, Abol azl Da oudi2 1 Alzah a Uni e si y, Facul y o Social Sciences and Economics, In o ma ion Technology Managemen Depa men , I an, ORCID: 0000-0002-1098-6737, [email p o ec ed]; 2 Allameh Taba aba’i Uni e si y, Facul y o Psychology and Educa ional Sciences, Psychology Depa men , I an, ORCID: 0000-0003-3711-2789, [email p o ec ed]. Abs ac : Add essing he lack o esea ch and knowledge abou o ganiza ional silence in he nascen bu p omising I anian s a up ecosys em, his s udy examines he ela ionship be ween pe sonali y ac o s and o ganiza ional silence in I anian s a ups. Da a we e collec ed using Vakola and Bou adas O ganiza ional Silence Ques ionnai e and NEO Pe sonali y In en o y illed by 532 s a up employees in I an, hen analyzed by Pea son and mul i a ia e eg ession es s. Hypo heses we e es ed h ough SPSS. Da a analysis demons a ed ha pe sonali y ac o s p edic 17.0% o he a iance o o ganiza ional silence, and he e is a signi ican ela ionship be ween each pe sonali y ac o wi h o ganiza ional silence in s a ups. The s onges and weakes co ela ions wi h o ganiza ional silence we e obse ed o openness o expe iences and conscien iousness, espec i ely. The s udy is c oss-sec ional, so i s esul s canno be casually in e ed; longi udinal s udies a e needed o ob ain mo e comp ehensi e in o ma ion. Access o quali ied esponden s was challenging because o s a up manage s’ o e all conse a i eness spi i and endency o wi hhold in o ma ion abou hei employees. This s udy has implica ions o s a up manage s and decision-make s. Since i has examined a des uc i e o ganiza ional phenomenon in he speci ic con ex o s a ups, his knowledge will help manage s ecognize and esol e o ganiza ional silence. This s udy has illed he esea ch gap by examining he o ganiza ional silence in I anian s a ups o he i s ime and has implica ions o heo e ical de elopmen in his no el con ex ; u he mo e, i helps s a up manage s o deal wi h o ganiza ional silence mo e e ec i ely. Keywo ds: O ganiza ional silence, o ganiza ional oice, pe sonali y, s a ups, knowledge-sha ing. JEL Classi ica ion: M12, M13, M51, J24, L25. APA S yle Ci a ion: Seyedi, S. S., & Da oudi, A. (2023). Pe sonali y as a Key De e minan o he O ganiza ional Silence in I anian S a ups. E&M Economics and Managemen , 26(1), 65–77. h ps://doi.o g/10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 In oduc ion One o he mos c i ical phenomena in mode n economics is he po en ial impac o s a ups on inno a ion, economic g ow h, and employmen a es a he egional, na ional and indus ial le els (Sedláček & S e k, 2017). While s a ups’ collec i e con ibu ions a e c i ical, he high- isk s a egies hey pu sue lead o s a ups’ high ailu e a es, up o 90% in some indus ies (A o a e al., 2018; Can amessa e al., 2018; Ma me e al., 2011), so imp o ing o ganiza- ional pe o mance is i al o hese businesses. This s udy examines one c i ical o ganiza ional phenomenon – o ganiza ional silence – in I a- nian s a ups. O ganiza ional silence, i s in oduced in 2000 by Mo ison and Milliken, is one o he mos signi ican ba ie s o pe o mance, g ow h, and inno a ion in o ganiza ions, whe e employees become silen consciously, e using o exp ess E+M_01_2023.indb 65 28.2.2023 10:02:41 66 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen ideas, c i iques, sugges ions, and opinions abou o ganiza ional ope a ions o in luen ial pe sons in he o ganiza ion (Mo ison & Mil- liken, 2000). Employees’ silence is mani es ed h ough a oidance o sha ing accumula ed aci knowledge, ge ing conse a i e, and deple ing in a-o ganiza ional communica ion o app o- p ia e in o ma ion (Aca ay & Ak u an, 2015; Pinde & Ha los, 2001), leading o educed o ganiza ional pe o mance and job sa is ac- ion, inancial losses, isola ion o inno a ion and es ic ion o o ganiza ional en ep eneu ship (B ins ield, 2013; De e & Bu is, 2007; Gam- ba o o & Cammozzo, 2010). Fac o s impac ing o ganiza ional silence can be di ided in o ou ca ego ies: pe sonali y, manage ial, o ganiza ional, and social (B ins- ield, 2013). A he mic o-le el, o ganiza ional silence is e lec ed in pe sonali y ai s. P io s udies ha e e ealed ha pe sonali y ac o s a e among he signi ican ac o s in he o ma- ion o employees’ silence in o ganiza ions (A khami A dakani & Khalili Sad abad, 2013; Asadi, 2017; A e y, 2003; LePine & an Dyne, 2001; Nikolaou e al., 2008; Zeba das & Na- de ian Jah omi, 2016). As a c ucial numbe o s a ups ail (Ma me e al., 2011), p e en ing he sp ead o o ganiza ional silence among employees and p omo ing knowledge and opinion-sha ing p ac ices can help imp o e company su i al a es and business pe o - mance (Lai inen & Senoo, 2019; Oe & Mi su- hashi, 2013; Wang & Noe, 2010). Speaking o I an, despi e many luc ua ions in he pas en yea s, he s a up a e has con in- uously isen abo e 10% (Global En ep eneu - ship Moni o , 2018). To ou bes knowledge, no in e na ional o domes ic esea ch has been dedica ed o he impac o pe sonali y ac o s in c ea ing and sp eading o ganiza ional silence in he I anian s a up con ex . A he same ime, he e a e ew s udies on o he phenomena, such as knowledge sha ing on I anian s a ups. The e o e, ec ui ing a pe sonali y-beha io al app oach and he i e- ac o pe sonali y model as a comp ehensi e e e ence model, his s udy examines he impac o employee pe sonali y ac o s speci ically on o ganiza ional silence. This s udy aims o answe he esea ch ques ion: how do pe sonali y ac o s a ec s a up o ganiza ional silence? Fu he mo e, is he e a signi ican ela ionship be ween employees’ pe sonali y ac o s and o ganiza- ional silence in s a ups, and which pe sonali y ac o s e ec i ely cause o ganiza ional silence in s a ups? Wi h a deepe unde s anding o he ela ionship be ween pe sonali y ac o s and o ganiza ional silence, s a up manage s can design be e solu ions ha suppo p oac- i e knowledge-sha ing and ideas and emo e ba ie s o exp essing cons uc i e ideas and opinions. 1. Li e a u e Re iew To be e unde s and how pe sonali y ac o s a ec o ganiza ional silence in s a ups, a com- p ehensi e li e a u e e iew was conduc ed on o ganiza ional silence, o ganiza ional oice, and pe sonali y ac o s, especially in he s a up con ex . As his e iew will demons a e, unde - s anding he in e ela ionships be ween hese ac o s is essen ial o any s a up seeking o achie e he desi ed o ganiza ional esul s. How- e e , be o e add essing he ac o s in luencing o ganiza ional silence, he cha ac e is ics ha di e en ia e s a ups om adi ional small com- panies and he cu en s a us o s a ups in he a ge popula ion (I an) a e discussed. 1.1 S a ups S a ups a e newly- o med o en ep eneu - ial businesses in he ma ke esea ch and de elopmen phase. Acco ding o Blank and Do (2012), a s a up is an o ganiza ion pu - suing a epea able, scalable, and p o i able business model. Gi en he lack o esou ces cha ac e izing a s a up, he owne s and man- age s mus le e age in angible asse s such as knowledge and human capi al o achie e scal- abili y goals (Cen obelli e al., 2017). Lai inen and Senoo (2019) de ine a s a up as a young inno a ion-d i en o ganiza ion seeking a e- pea able and p o i able business model by c ea ing inno a i e p oduc s and se ices ha a ge unce ain global ma ke s. Aule and Mu ay (2013) desc ibe i e main di e ences be ween small businesses (“SEM en ep eneu ship”) and s a ups (“inno a ion- d i en en ep eneu ship o IDE”) as ollows: (1) inno a ion is a he hea o s a ups and c i - ical o hei su i al; (2) s a ups ocus on se - ing global ma ke s om he ou se by elying on a a ie y o inancial esou ces – including en u e capi al – while small companies se e local ma ke s wi h adi ional inancial suppo ; (3) s a up membe s a e no se led neces- sa ily in a single loca ion and may ins ead be sca e ed wo ldwide. Eisenmann e al. (2012) E+M_01_2023.indb 66 28.2.2023 10:02:41 67 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen men ioned s a up business model lexibili y as ano he c i ical di e ence be ween s a ups and small companies. Due o he high ailu e a e o s a ups, many e o s ha e been made o design di - e en ypes o p edic i e and o wa d-looking models o success ully p edic he a e o a s a up by iden i ying he ac o s leading o success o ailu e. The esul s ha e in oduced ac o s ela ed o he en ep eneu , he sec o o indus y in which he en ep eneu wo ks, and he s a egies adop ed in s a ups (Ho miga e al., 2011). O he s udies ha e ound ac o s such as inancial esou ces (Hill, 2018; T ipa- hi e al., 2019), ma ke knowledge (De Luca & A uahene-Gima, 2007), ma ke oppo uni ies (Kuada, 2016), unde s anding o cus ome as es (Ko le & Kelle , 2015), business in elli- gen ce (Casei o & Coelho, 2019), inno a ion (Ji ménez‐Jimenez e al., 2008), ma ke ing ca- pa bili ies (Saleh & Alha bi, 2015), echnology ca pabili ies (Chen e al., 2009) and ne wo king capabili ies (Wal e e al., 2006) o be in luen ial in he s a up’s success. Gi en he sca ci y o ecen s udies on o ga- niza ional silence in s a ups (Cen obelli e al., 2017), mo e esea ch is needed o unde s and how he s a up con ex a ec s o ganiza ional silence. 1.2 I anian S a up Ecosys em The I anian s a up ecosys em is nascen , wi h a ema kable lack o eliable s a is ical in o ma- ion. Among he ew exis ing esou ces, The I a- nian ICT Guild O ganiza ion (IIG) has p esen ed a s a is ical epo on he cu en si ua ion o s a ups, p oblems, and ela ed issues based on da a collec ed by an online ques ionnai e. Acco ding o he epo , mo e han 68% o he s a ups pa icipa ing in he su ey we e unde wo yea s old, and only 39.5% ha e eached he g ow h and e enue gene a ion s age. Mo e han 75% o I anian s a ups a e dep i ed o go e nmen suppo , and only 11.8% o e hei se ices in he global ma ke . No ably, 22.5% o he ounde s o I anian s a ups ha e a second job, and 68.9% o s a - ups do no ha e in es o s. 63.4% o hese s a ups ha e be ween ze o (jus a ounde ) o i e ull- ime employees, and 62.9% ha e be ween one and i e pa - ime employees. Pa icipan s in he su ey a ibu ed he weak spi i o coope a ion and eamwo k be ween membe s (16.1%) and he limi a ion o he s a up knowledge base (24.5%) oge he o o he ac o s such as low liquidi y, he local model, and domes ic cons ain s as he mos c i ical in e nal ba ie s o he g ow h o s a - ups (Digia o, 2020). Acco ding o he epo o he 11 h esea ch p og am o e alua ing en ep eneu ship indica o s in I an, published by he O ice o he Global En ep eneu ship Moni o in I an (Facul y o En ep eneu ship, Uni e si y o Teh an), he To al Ea ly-S age En ep eneu ial Ac i i y (TEA) Index in I an in 2018 was 10%, anking I an 28 h ou o 52 membe coun ies. Also, he o al ne en ep eneu ial ac i i ies in I an is equal o 16%. In o he wo ds, abou 16% o I an’s adul popula ion is in ol ed in a ious en ep eneu ial ac i i ies (Global En ep eneu - ship Moni o , 2018). Acco ding o Global En ep eneu ship Moni- o , a s a up en ep eneu is an en ep eneu who has done a signi ican ac i i y o s a a new business du ing he las 42 mon hs, pa ially o wholly owns a company, and is ac i ely in ol ed in i s managemen . The mos signi ican numbe o s a up en ep eneu s in I an a e young people aged 25–34, who make up 15.18% o he o al popula ion. I an anks 35 h among 52 membe coun ies in he A e age S a up Exi and 15 h in Fea o Failu e Ra e. Mo eo e , he s a ups’ suc- cess a e in I an dec eased by abou 3% in 2018 compa ed o he h ee p io yea s (9.7% in 2018, 13.3% in 2017, and 12.8% in 2016) (Global En- ep eneu ship Moni o , 2018). 1.3 O ganiza ional Silence Employees usually ha e ideas o imp o e hei o ganiza ion; some employees exp ess hei ideas (o ganiza ional oice), bu o he s emain silen and supp ess hei cons uc i e opinions and knowledge; Mo ison and Milliken (2000) call his social phenomenon “o ganiza ional silence.” Pinde and Ha los (2001) de ine o - ganiza ional silence as he e usal o employ- ees o con ey beha io al, cogni i e, hones , and p ac ical assessmen s o o ganiza ional si ua ions o he decision-making people in he o ganiza ion. Employees’ silence dis up s o ganiza ional pe o mance in a ious ways, p o iding a hos ile clima e agains he exp es- sion o new ideas and knowledge-sha ing, and hinde ing e ec i e o ganiza ional change and de elopmen by p e en ing nega i e eedback (Dimi is & Vakola, 2007; Managheb e al., 2018; Pinde & Ha los, 2001). E+M_01_2023.indb 67 28.2.2023 10:02:41 68 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen The majo i y o o ganiza ional silence s ud- ies ec ui a ious models such as he dynam- ics leading o o ganiza ional silence [explaining why and how he silence clima e is o med in o ganiza ions as a collec i e phenomenon; Mo ison and Miliken (2000)], he e ec s o o ganiza ional silence [ ocusing on implica ions and o ganiza ional consequences o silence, including he e ec i eness o o ganiza ional change, decision-making, and e o co ec- ion p ocesses; Mo ison and Milliken (2000)], concep ualizing employee silence [p o id- ing a amewo k o concep ualizing silence based on al uis ic, de ensi e and obedien silence componen s, ia employee mo i a ion; Van Dyne e . al. (2003); he main ac o s o he silence clima e and he esul s o o ganiza ional silence in he employees’ job pe spec i es; Dimi is and Vakola (2007)]. While a e iew o he heo e ical ounda- ions o o ganiza ional silence in he s a up con ex e eals a lack o p io esea ch s ud- ies on he opic, he limi ed exis ing s udies examine he impac o knowledge-sha ing by s a up ounde s and i s ela ionship o esul - ing bene i s in s a ups (Cen obelli e al., 2017; Oe & Mi suhashi, 2013). These s udies claim ha employees a e na u ally mo i a ed o sha e hei opinions and knowledge wi h o he s, bu i could no be gene alized wi hou a comp ehen- si e analysis o people’s mo i a ions. In o de o pe o m such an in-dep h analysis, a deepe unde s anding o he undamen al cha ac e is- ics in luencing he o ma ion o o ganiza ional silence is equi ed. 1.4 Pe sonali y and O ganiza ional Silence Pe sonali y is psychological quali ies con ibu - ing o dis inc and s able pa e ns o a pe son’s emo ion, hough , and beha io (Ce one & Pe in, 2010). A ms ong and Taylo (2014) de ined pe sonali y as psychological ai s ha dis inc ly and consis en ly in luence a pe son’s beha io al cha ac e is ics. Some ecen s udies on pe sonali y ha e ocused on he i e- ac o model o pe sonali y (FFM), classi ying pe sonali y ai s in o i e di- mensions, including neu o icism, ex o e sion, openness o expe iences, ag eeableness, and conscien iousness (Chan e al., 2015; Ha nida , 2013). P oponen s o he i e- ac o pe sonali y model main ain ha hese ac o s a e ound in- di idually o collec i ely in almos all pe sonali y ools (No man, 1963). Neu o icism e e s o he endency o expe- ience ad e se e ec s, such as ange , anxie y, insecu i y, and psychological s ess, while ex- o e sion measu es he quan i y and in ensi y o in e pe sonal in e ac ions and ac i i y le el. Openness o expe iences means p oac i ely emb acing b and-new expe iences, ag ee- ableness e e s o he quali y o in e pe sonal in e ac ion in a spec um om lo e o con lic , and conscien iousness measu es he deg ee o consis ency, o ganiza ion, and mo i a ion in goal-o ien ed beha io s (Cos a, 1992). O ganiza ional silence – a he mic o-le el – mani es s i sel in he con ex o pe sonali y ai s. The e is no a gene al ag eemen on how and o wha ex en each o hese pe sonali y ac o s a ec s he beha io o employees, and some belie e ha he beha io o conscien ious and neu o ic people is no con ex -dependen and is always p edic able. Howe e , o he pe sonali y ac o s (ex a e sion, openness, and ag eeableness) on o ganiza ional beha io – including o ganiza ional silence – a e mainly con ex -dependen (Judge e al., 2008). LePine and an Dyne (2001) a gue ha o ganiza ional oice beha io is a basic o m o con ex ual pe o mance. They explo ed he ole o indi idual di e ences and ound ha conscien iousness and ex o e sion posi i ely co ela e wi h o ganiza ional silence, while neu o icism and ag eeableness ha e a nega- i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional silence. A e y (2003) es ed he e ec o i e pe son- ali y ac o s and he main dimensions o co e sel -e alua ions (CSE) on o ganiza ional oice. De e and Bu is (2007) s a ed ha he a io- nale o hei s udy on indi idual di e ences as co ela ed wi h o ganiza ional oice is ha one pe son is mo e likely willing o exp ess ideas han o he s. Nikolaou e al. (2008) a gued ha i he e is indeed a ela ionship be ween employee oice beha io and con ex ual pe o mance, i can be expec ed ha employees who possess high le els o conscien iousness and ex a e - sion and low le els o neu o icism demons a e o ganiza ional oice mo e han o he s. They also ound ha employees’ o ganiza ional oice beha io was mainly obse ed owa ds hei supe iso a he han senio managemen . S udies conduc ed in I an on he impac o pe sonali y on o ganiza ional silence a ely ha e ocused on s a ups (mainly done in he public sec o ) while emphasizing he signi ican E+M_01_2023.indb 68 28.2.2023 10:02:42 69 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen ela ionships be ween employee pe sonal- i y and o ganiza ional silence. Fo example, A khami A dakani and Khalili Sad abad (2013) ound ha ex a e sion, openness o expe i- ence, and conscien iousness ha e a signi i- can nega i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional silence, while he e is a signi ican posi i e e- la ionship be ween ag eeableness and o gani- za ional silence, and no signi ican ela ionship was obse ed be ween he neu o icism and si- lence. Zeba das and Nade ian Jah omi (2016) also ound ha ag eeableness, neu o icism, and ex a e sion a e good p edic o s o silence beha io among employees. Asadi (2017) ound a signi ican posi i e e- la ionship be ween neu o icism and ag eeable- ness o o ganiza ional silence and a signi ican nega i e ela ionship be ween ex a e sion, conscien iousness, and openness o expe i- ence ac o s wi h o ganiza ional silence. Sha i- a i and A khami A dakani (2018) es ablished ha (an in o e ed) pe sonali y signi ican ly ela es o an employee’s silence. Zeba das e al.’s (2017) indings indica e he di ec e ec o pe sonali y on employee silence. Examining he o ganiza ional silence o nu ses, Ja a iani and Rabbani (2020) ound ha conscien ious- ness and ag eeableness signi ican ly impac he ela ionship be ween manage ial ac o s and o ganiza ional silence. 2. Hypo hesis De elopmen A e iew o p e ious s udies shows a esea ch gap on how pe sonali y ac o s a ec he o - ma ion o o ganiza ional silence in s a ups. The e o e, hypo heses a ge ing his gap will be de eloped. 2.1 Conscien iousness and O ganiza ional Silence Employees wi h high le els o conscien ious- ness possess c ea i i y, ingenui y, imagina ion, and cu iosi y o de elop new ideas (Fu nham & Fudge, 2008). Conscien ious people a e mo e likely o sha e knowledge and opinions because hey possess ou s anding job skills, enjoy helping o he s, and ac beyond hei oles o he sake o he o ganiza ion (Ka ga Sho- u aki e al., 2016). Ba ick and Ryan’s (2003) s udy e eals ha conscien iousness has a sig- ni ican posi i e ela ionship wi h success and desi e o ca ee success and job pe o mance. A e y (2003) ound ha people wi h a high le el o conscien iousness seek be e con ol o e hei jobs, leading o imp o ed o gani- za ional oice. Nikolaou e al. (2008) hypo h- esized ha conscien iousness has a signi ican posi i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional oice beha io . They a gued ha conscien ious em- ployees a e e icien , s able, and ha dwo king. Hypo hesis 1 is he e o e de eloped as ollows: H1: Conscien iousness has a posi i e ela- ionship wi h o ganiza ional silence. 2.2 Neu o icism and O ganiza ional Silence Anxie y in neu o ic people can inc ease hei sensi i i y o wo k- ela ed s ess ac o s and educe hei adap a ion o unpleasan condi- ions (Ha nida , 2013). Neu o icism in g oup membe s causes hem o delibe a ely a oid knowledge-sha ing o main ain he secu i y o hei exclusi e knowledge, bu membe s wi h highe emo ional s abili y end o us col- leagues and ha e li le ea o sha ing hei knowledge (Ka ga Shou aki e al., 2016). Ha - ing nega i e emo ions such as ea , sadness, ange , and guil o ms he basis o he neu o i- cism scale (ne ousness o emo ional ins abili y index). People wi h low sco es on he neu o i- cism scale a e calm and gen le and ha e low sel -es eem (Zhao & Seibe , 2006). Nikolaou e al. (2008) hypo hesized ha neu o icism has a signi ican posi i e ela ion- ship wi h o ganiza ional silence beha io . They a gued ha neu o ics a e mo e likely o ha e psychological anxie y and un ealis ic ideas and can quickly become anxious and eel insecu e and emo ionally uns able, leading o employee silence in he ace o o ganiza ional issues. The e o e, hese people a e likely eluc an o make sugges ions ha lead o signi ican o ga- niza ional imp o emen s o changes. LePine and an Dyne (2001) also demons a e ha neu o icism has a signi ican and posi i e e- la ionship wi h o ganiza ional silence. Hypo h- esis 2 is he e o e de eloped as ollows: H2: Neu o icism has a posi i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional silence. 2.3 Ag eeableness and O ganiza ional Silence McC ae e al. (2005) de ined ag eeableness as a pe sonali y ai o us , lo e, gen leness, em- pa hy, pa icipa ion, and humili y. A e y (2003) ound ha ag eeable people did no wan o c e- a e p oblems o con lic wi h o he s; hey could no see he downside o hei ac ions. Nikolaou e al. (2008) hypo hesized ha ag eeableness E+M_01_2023.indb 69 28.2.2023 10:02:42 70 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen has a signi ican posi i e ela ionship wi h o ga- niza ional silence. They a gued ha ag eeable people could be desc ibed as kind-hea ed, will- ing o help, gene ous, kind, and ou spoken, who easily us o he s. Simila ly, LePine and Van Dyne’s (2001) ema kable inding indica es he dual o ien a- ion o ag eeableness; i has a signi ican and nega i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional oice and a signi ican and posi i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional pe o mance. Hypo hesis 3 is he e o e de eloped as ollows: H3: Ag eeableness has a posi i e ela ion- ship wi h o ganiza ional silence. 2.4 Ex a e sion and O ganiza ional Silence McC ae e al. (2005) desc ibed ex a e sion as cha ac e is ics such as sociabili y, asse i e- ness, exci abili y, and a high le el o emo ional exp ession. The sense o humo o ex o e s helps hem alk wi h o he people in a non- h ea ening way. Ex o e s o en eel secu e and ac decisi ely in he wo kplace. A e y (2003) ound ha ex o e s likely ind oppo - uni ies o p esen hemsel es and in luence o he s h ough o ganiza ional oice beha io . Nikolaou e al. (2008) hypo hesized ha ex a e sion has a signi ican posi i e ela ion- ship wi h o ganiza ional oice beha io . They a gued ha ex o e s a e sociable, ac i e, op i- mis ic, a ec iona e, and alka i e. These people always eel sa e and beha e decisi ely in he wo kplace. Simila esul s ha e been epo ed by LePine and Van Dyne (2001). Hypo hesis 4 is he e o e de eloped as ollows: H4: Ex a e sion has a posi i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional silence. 2.5 Openness o Expe iences and O ganiza ional Silence Openness o expe iences can c ea e bonds among employees by imp o ing g oup cohe- sion. Once g oup cohesion is o med, membe s will be mo e inclined o sha e knowledge and opinions wi h o he s (in o de o achie e be - e job pe o mance) (Hsu, 2018). LePine and an Dyne (2001) ound ha people wi h high le els o openness o expe iences enjoy new expe iences and a e willing o lea n new hings. Such people p obably a o new changes mo e han he cu en si ua ion. Thus, openness o expe ience is in e sely ela ed o o ganiza ional silence. I can be said ha open-minded people expe ience posi i e and nega i e emo ions mo e in ensely han people wi h low openness sco es; hus, hey end o ha e mo e posi- i e a i udes owa d lea ning new hings and engage mo e deeply in lea ning expe iences Fig. 1: The concep ual amewo k Sou ce: LePine and an Dyne (2001) E+M_01_2023.indb 70 28.2.2023 10:02:42 71 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen (Ma zle & Muelle , 2011). Fu he mo e, A e y (2003) inds ha such indi iduals a e likely o ind inno a i e and c ea i e ways o imp o e cu en p ac ices. Bo h ecen s udies hypo h- esized ha openness o expe iences posi i ely p edic s o ganiza ional oice beha io and is in e sely ela ed o o ganiza ional silence. Ne e heless, openness o expe ience has e ealed he weakes associa ion wi h wo k beha io , job pa icipa ion, and adi ional con- ex ual pe o mance. A e y (2003) and LePine and an Dyne (2001) obse ed an associa ion be ween openness and o ganiza ional oice beha io bu did no su icien ly explain hei indings. Openness o expe iences includes se e al di e se elemen s (Hough & Fu nham, 2003), leading o he desc ip ion o openness as he mos e a ic and he e ogeneous di- mension o he i e- ac o pe sonali y model. Hypo hesis 5 is he e o e de eloped as ollows: H5: The e is a posi i e ela ionship be ween openness o expe iences and o ganiza ional silence. 3. Me hodology As shown in Fig. 1, he concep ual amewo k is based on he ela ionships p esen ed in he hypo heses and s udy o LePine and an Dyne (2001). The s udy’s s a is ical popula ion in- cludes all employees o s a ups in I an, o which exac s a is ics a e una ailable. The e o e, he ques ionnai es we e sen o 600 employees, and a e emo ing incomple e ques ionnai es, 502 we e en e ed in o he analysis. 3.1 Measu emen The o ganiza ional silence ques ionnai e is aken om Vakola and Bou adas (2005) and consis s o 15 i e-poin Like i ems (1: s ongly disag ee o 5: s ongly ag ee). The dimensions o his ques ionnai e we e senio managemen a i ude o silence (5 i ems), supe iso a i ude o silence (5 i ems), and communica ion oppo - uni ies (5 i ems). The sho o m o he Fi e-Fac o In en o y (NEO-FFI) was used o measu e pe sonali y ac- o s. NEO-FFI includes 60 i ems and is one o he newes ques ionnai es o assess pe sonali y cons uc based on he ac o analysis pe spec- i e. The sco ing scale o he ques ions is based on a i e-poin Like scale (1: s ongly disag ee o 5: s ongly ag ee). A pa o he ques ionnai e was dedica ed o he esponden s’ demog aphic a iables and he s a up’s cha ac e is ics. The eliabili y analysis o bo h ansla ed ques ionnai es in a pilo s udy o 30 people was es ima ed wi h C onbach’s alpha o 0.86 o he o ganiza ional silence ques ionnai e and 0.84 o NEO-FFI, indica ing he ques ionnai e’s sa - is ac o y eliabili y. Feedback ecei ed om ou p ac i ione s and ou uni e si y p o esso s was used o ensu e he alidi y o bo h ques ion- nai es and he cla i y o he measu es, leading o mino modi ica ions o he i ems based on he pilo s udy. 3.2 Sampling and Da a Collec ion/ P ocedu e The ques ionnai e was sen o 600 s a up em- ployees. Each pe son was sen a pe sonalized email in i a ion o comple e he online su ey. Incomple e ques ionnai es and unwillingness o answe he ques ionnai es we e conside ed exi c i e ia. Fi e hund ed hi y- wo esponden s pa icipa ed in he su ey, and inally, 502 ques- ionnai es we e analyzed, leading o an e ec- i e esponse a e o 85.66% o he s udy. Pa icipa ion in he su ey was anonymous and based on olun a y and e hical conside a ions. The cha ac e is ics o he esponden s a e de- sc ibed in Tab. 1. 4. Resul s 4.1 Desc ip i e S a is ics Values o means, s anda d de ia ions, and co ela ions be ween cons uc s and a iables a e shown in Tab. 2. Ex a e sion and consci- en iousness possess he lowes and he high- es means, espec i ely. A dominan sense o conse a i eness was e lec ed in he answe s as well. 4.2 Kolmogo o -Smi no Tes To analyze he hypo heses, one mus i s ensu e ha he es ed a iable’s s a is ical dis ibu ion is no mal. Fo his pu pose, he Kolmogo o -Smi no es was used, and he esul s and decision c i e ia (p- alue) in his s udy we e 0.607 (abo e 0.5), indica ing ha he dis ibu ion is no mal. 4.3 Pea son Co ela ion Tes Pea son co ela ion coe icien is used o es hypo heses 1 o 5. As he Tab. 3 shows, consci- en iousness and openness o expe ience ha e he weakes and s onges co ela ion wi h o - ganiza ional silence. E+M_01_2023.indb 71 28.2.2023 10:02:42 72 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen 4.4 Reg ession Analysis The eg ession analysis esul s be ween o - ganiza ional silence and pe sonali y ac o s a e shown in Tab. 4. The esul s demons a e ha he co ela ion coe icien o o ganiza ional silence on he pe sonali y ac o s equals 0.499 and explains he a iance o o ganiza ional silence by 0.17. 5. Discussion This s udy aims o in es iga e he ole o pe - sonali y ac o s based on he i e- ac o model on o ganiza ional silence among employees o I anian s a ups. The eg ession analysis e- sul s e eal a signi ican ela ionship be ween he i e- ac o model o pe sonali y and o ga- niza ional silence ac o s. In he ollowing, he Numbe o employees (n) (%) Age <30 223 44.4 31–40 160 31.9 41–50 85 16.9 50< 34 6.8 Educa ion Bachelo 121 24.1 Mas e 306 61.0 PhD 75 14.9 S a up size (employee numbe ) 1–5 157 31.3 5–10 281 56.0 10–15 39 7.8 15< 25 4.9 Expe ience in s a up sec o (y s) <3 183 36.5 3–5 195 38.8 5< 124 24.7 Gende Male 317 63.1 Female 185 36.9 Sou ce: own Cons uc Mean S anda d de ia ion The la ges numbe The smalles numbe O ganiza ional silence 3.27 0.457 4.50 1.80 Pe sonali y ac o s 1.19 0.575 4.40 1.80 Neu o icism 2.00 0.996 4.60 1.60 Ex a e sion 1.80 0.891 4.60 1.40 Openness o expe ience 1.97 0.899 4.25 1.75 Ag eeableness 1.81 0.902 5.00 1.20 Conscien iousness 2.18 0.955 4.00 1.30 Sou ce: own Tab. 1: Sample desc ip ion (n = 502) Tab. 2: Means and s anda d de ia ions o cons uc s (n = 502) E+M_01_2023.indb 72 28.2.2023 10:02:42 73 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 65–77, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen esul s o es ing he hypo heses a e analyzed sepa a ely. 5.1 Conscien iousness and O ganiza ional Silence This s udy e eals ha conscien iousness has a signi ican posi i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional silence ha is consis en wi h p e ious esea ch (A khami A dakani & Khalili Sad abad, 2013; Nikolaou e al., 2008; Zeba - das & Nade ian Jah omi, 2016), which ound a posi i e and signi ican ela ionship be ween o ganiza ional oice and conscien iousness. Exp essing iews and sugges ions o imp o - ing he business ou comes o he o ganiza ion is he mos i al issue o conscien ious em- ployees, leading o supp essing o ganiza ional silence. Howe e , i should be no ed ha he weakes co ela ion be ween pe sonali y ac- o s and o ganiza ional silence was obse ed o he conscien ious ac o , making i he weakes p edic o o o ganiza ional silence in he p esen s udy. 5.2 Neu o icism and O ganiza ional Silence The esul s e ealed ha neu o icism has a posi i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional si- lence, consis en wi h p e ious indings (Asadi, 2017; Chan e al., 2015; Zeba das & Nade ian Jah omi, 2016) ha neu o ics a e emo ionally uns able and lack sel -con idence, he e o e, p e e silence when hey need o commen . P e ious s udies ha e shown ha neu o ic people a e mo e likely o expe ience emo ions such as ea and ailu e, leading o ine ec i e adap i e s a egies such as emo ion-cen e ed adjus men and in e pe sonal soli ude, pe sonal blame, passi i y, and indecision (Lee-Baggley e al., 2005). A conside able ac ion o espon- den s (36.5%) a e s ill “newcome s” o s a ups, and neu o ic esponden s may belong mainly o his g oup and eel insecu e in he wo kplace and y o be conse a i e. 5.3 Ag eeableness and O ganiza ional Silence The esul s e ealed ha ag eeableness has a posi i e ela ionship wi h o ganiza ional si- lence. Ag eeable pe sons a e mo e inclined o o ganiza ional silence. This inding is consis en wi h p e ious li e a u e (e.g., A khami A dakani & Khalili Sad abad, 2013; Asadi, 2017; Chan e al., 2015; Danaei a d e al., 2012), demon- s a ing ha ag eeable people a e compas- siona e owa ds o he s and y o adap o any si ua ion. As a esul , i can be in e ed ha pas- si e people p e e silence when hey need o commen . Ag eeable people a e e y p one o passi e beha io s, and hei p ima y mo i a ion o silence beha io is mainly wi hd awal and submission; hey ac based on submission and sa is ac ion wi h e e y hing. Signi icance le el (Sig.)Co ela ion coe icien (P)Pe sonali y ac o 0.0100.07Conscien iousness 0.0610.23Neu o icism 0.0010.31Ag eeableness 0.0010.29Ex a e sion 0.0010.46Openness o expe ience Sou ce: own S anda d co ela ion coe icien (R) Squa e o he co ela- ion coe icien (R2) Adjus ed R2 coe icien Es ima ion e o 0.2510.1700.159 2.967 Sou ce: own Tab. 3: Co ela ion coe icien be ween pe sonali y ac o s and o ganiza ional silence (n = 502) Tab. 4: Indices and s a is ics o eg ession analysis o o ganiza ional silence based on pe sonali y ac o s E+M_01_2023.indb 73 28.2.2023 10:02:43