Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
D.B.A.
Degree Granting Department
Business Administration
Major Professor
Joann Quinn, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor
Douglas Hughes, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Paul Spector, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Mathew Mullarky, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Quintin McGrath, D.B.A.
Keywords
emotional intelligence, employee voice, employee well-being, organizational behavior, psychological safety, workplace withdrawal
Abstract
ABSTRACT Shame is a fundamental self-conscious emotion that shapes behavior and communication in the workplace. This study examined how shame interacts with leadership styles to influence employee silence and job satisfaction. Survey data were collected from 1,500 professionals across diverse industries, and statistical analyses were conducted to test nine hypotheses. Three hypotheses were assessed through direct linear regression while six moderation hypotheses were evaluated using moderated multiple linear regression models to capture leadership style as a contextual influence.
Findings indicated that shame significantly predicted higher levels of silence and lower levels of job satisfaction. Silence was also negatively associated with job satisfaction, underscoring the interdependence of these constructs. The research from this study showed that democratic leadership reduced the negative effects of shame, leading to lower silence and higher satisfaction. Autocratic leadership did not significantly moderate the relationship between shame and silence or job satisfaction, indicating it had little measurable influence on these outcomes. In contrast, laissez-faire leadership produced mixed results, with some models reaching significance in opposite directions, suggesting partial but non-systematic alignment with theoretical expectations.
This study advances organizational research by empirically demonstrating the relationships among shame, silence, leadership style, and job satisfaction. The analysis shows that leadership context shapes the strength and direction of these relationships, offering statistical clarity to theoretical perspectives that position emotions as central influences in organizational behavior. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how shame operates within workplace dynamics and emphasize the moderating role of leadership style in shaping employee experiences of silence and satisfaction.
Scholar Commons Citation
Lyman, Andrew M., "When Shame Leads to Silence: Leadership Style Moderates Shame, Silence, and Job Satisfaction" (2025). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/11342
