Breaking Workplace Silence: How Organizational Communication Reduces The Bystander Effect And Sparks Proactivity
English
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v10i1.4351Keywords:
Communication, Bystander Effect, Proactivity, Mediation, WorkplaceAbstract
In today’s complex and fast-changing work environments, organizations increasingly rely on employees who can take initiative without waiting for instruction. However, this urgency is often undermined by a persistent behavioral pattern: the bystander effect, where individuals hesitate to act due to perceived shared responsibility. While previous research has explored organizational silence and proactivity separately, few studies have examined how internal communication affects proactive behavior through the lens of the bystander effect. This study uses Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data from 200 employees across the public and private sectors in Bali. The results reveal that organizational communication significantly reduces the bystander effect and enhances proactive behavior, both directly and indirectly. The bystander effect is shown to be a meaningful psychological mechanism that mediates these dynamics. Future research should explore how remote work, digital communication, or leadership style influence this relationship over time.
References
Boccoli, G., Gastaldi, L., Corso, M., & Lambruschini, V. (2017). The Impact of Social support on Performance extra-role in a Remote Working Context .
Carvalho, A. M., Sampaio, P., Rebentisch, E., Carvalho, J. Á., & Saraiva, P. (2021). The influence of operational excellence on the culture and agility of organizations: evidence from industry. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 38(7), 1520–1549. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-07-2020-0248
Chen, H., Wang, J., Bao, J., Zhang, Z., & Li, J. (2024). Facilitation or inhibition? research on the double-edged sword effect of peer abusive supervision on bystander proactive behavior. International Journal of Conflict Management, 35(4), 775–795. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-10-2023-0206
Cookson, T. P., Kuss, M. K., Bitterly, J., & Fuentes, L. (2023). Social Norms, Gender and Development: A Review of Research and Practice. UN Women Discussion Paper Series, 42(42), 1–67.
Einwiller, S., Ruppel, C., & Stranzl, J. (2021). Achieving employee support during the COVID-19 pandemic – the role of relational and informational crisis communication in Austrian organizations. Journal of Communication Management, 25(3), 233–255. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-10-2020-0107
Erdoğan, T., Bayraktar, Y., Uçan, F., & Atilgan, S. S. (2022). The effect of perceived stress on organizational silence in emergency service doctors in Turkey: The mediating role of emotional intelligence. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1010827
Evans, E. (2022). Cracking the hybrid work culture conundrum: how to create a strong culture across a workforce you may never even see. Strategic HR Review, 21(2), 46–49. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-12-2021-0065
Ghani, B., Hyder, S. I., Yoo, S., & Han, H. (2023). Does employee engagement promote innovation? The Facilitators of innovative workplace behavior via mediation and moderation. Heliyon, 9(11), e21817. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21817
Hair, J., & Alamer, A. (2022). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 1(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100027
Hao, S., & Han, P. (2022). The moderating roles of trust and felt trust on the relationship between proactive personality and voice behaviour. Management Decision, 60(8), 2224–2237. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2021-0444
Havlik, J. L., Vieira Sugano, Y. Y., Jacobi, M. C., Kukreja, R. R., Jacobi, J. H. C., & Mason, P. (2020). The bystander effect in rats. Science Advances, 6(28), eabb4205. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abb4205
Hosseini, E., Sabokro, M., & Salamzadeh, A. (2024). Conceptualizing Employee Voice Within Organizations: A Systematic Literature Review Based on Five Decades’ Studies. In R. Shrivastava & K. Jain (Eds.), Humanizing Businesses for a Better World of Work (pp. 127–145). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-332-320241009
Jahanzeb, S., Bouckenooghe, D., Fatima, T., & Akram, M. (2024). Opportunistic silence: ignited by psychological contract breach, instigated by hostile attribution bias. Personnel Review, 53(7), 1768–1786. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2021-0793
Jebb, A. T., Ng, V., & Tay, L. (2021). A Review of Key Likert Scale Development Advances: 1995–2019. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(May), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.637547
Jennings, L., Zhao, K., Faulkner, N., & Smith, L. (2024). Mapping bystander intervention to workplace inclusion: A scoping review. Human Resource Management Review, 34(2), 101017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2024.101017
Jönsson, S., & Muhonen, T. (2025). Bystander behavior in workplace bullying: a vignette study exploring how organizational space and situational strength influence intentions to intervene. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 18(3), 331–349. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-10-2024-0215
Lewis, S., Willis, K., & Smallwood, N. (2025). The collective experience of moral distress: a qualitative analysis of perspectives of frontline health workers during COVID-19. Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine : PEHM, 20(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13010-024-00162-y
Lytle, R. D., Bratton, T. M., & Hudson, H. K. (2021a). Bystander Apathy and Intervention in the Era of Social Media. The Emerald International Handbook of Technology-Facilitated Violence and Abuse, 711–728. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-848-520211052
Lytle, R. D., Bratton, T. M., & Hudson, H. K. (2021b). Bystander Apathy and Intervention in the Era of Social Media. In J. Bailey, A. Flynn, & N. Henry (Eds.), The Emerald International Handbook of Technology-Facilitated Violence and Abuse (pp. 711–728). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-848-520211052
Martini, M., & De Piccoli, N. (2020). Predicting Bystander Intention to Intervene: The Role of Gender-Specific System Justification and Rape Myth Acceptance for Men and Women. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(March), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00326
Mayer, D. M., Nurmohamed, S., Treviño, L. K., Shapiro, D. L., & Schminke, M. (2013). Encouraging employees to report unethical conduct internally: It takes a village. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 121(1), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.01.002
Nacera, B., & Mohamed, C. (2023). A of The Impact organizational silence on the of the learning organization a case study of the faculty of economic and commercial Sciences and management at Ibn Khaldun university - Tiaret - : ﺮﺷﺎﻨﻟﺍ organization a case study of the faculty of economic an. 03.
Nielsen, K. S., Hansen, M., Bjørkelo, B., & Mikkelsen, E. G. (2025). Evaluating a dialogue-based bystander intervention for work-related gender-based violence and harassment: a mixed method pilot study. International Journal of Conflict Management, 21. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-09-2024-0229
Nielsen, K. S., Hansen, M., & Mikkelsen, E. G. (2025). Bystander interventions against gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace : a scoping review. May, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1570812
Noort, M. C. (2020). The behavioural nature of safety voice: advancing concepts and measures to enable the prevention of harm. August.
Scaffidi Abbate, C., Misuraca, R., Vaccaro, C., Roccella, M., Vetri, L., & Miceli, S. (2022). Prosocial priming and bystander effect in an online context. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(August), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.945630
Shahrzadi, L., Mansouri, A., Alavi, M., & Shabani, A. (2024). Causes, consequences, and strategies to deal with information overload: A scoping review. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 4(2), 100261. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2024.100261
Taşkan, B., Junça-Silva, A., & Caetano, A. (2025). The role of mindfulness in the relationship between uncertainty and adaptive performance via affect: a within-person approach. Management Research Review, 48(3), 489–505. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-11-2023-0874
Tosuntaş, Ş. B. (2020). Diffusion of responsibility in group work: Social loafing. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 4(3), 344–358. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.2020465073
Wang, X., Xia, B., & Bi, W. (2025). Keeping silent or playing good citizen? Differential mechanisms of negative workplace gossip on targets reactions. Personnel Review, 54(1), 150–173. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-07-2023-0618
Wijaya, V. G., Oba, K., Ishibashi, R., & Sugiura, M. (2023). Why people hesitate to help: Neural correlates of the counter-dynamics of altruistic helping and individual differences in daily helping tendencies. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(March). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1080376
Zahoor, A. (2020). Employee proactivity, work engagement, job resources and service recovery performance: a study of structural linkages. Journal of Contemporary Marketing Science, 3(2), 153–168. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCMARS-02-2019-0016
Zahoor, N., Golgeci, I., Haapanen, L., Ali, I., & Arslan, A. (2022). The role of dynamic capabilities and strategic agility of B2B high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises during COVID-19 pandemic: Exploratory case studies from Finland. Industrial Marketing Management, 105, 502–514. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.07.006
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
