Finding Courage in Psychologically Unsafe Environments: The Impact of Trait Social Courage and Voice on Leadership Emergence

Authors

Allona S. Murry, University of Mississippi, Mississippi, U.S.A.
Rebecca L. Badawy, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Robyn L. Brouer, University of South Alabama, Alabama, U.S.A.
Matt C. Howard, University of South Alabama, Alabama, U.S.A.

Abstract

This paper explores the role trait social courage has in psychologically unsafe team environments, specifically examining its impact on voice and leadership emergence. Using a sample of undergraduate students engaged in a semester long team business simulation, surveyed at multiple time points and with multiple raters, we found support that trait social courage is activated under conditions of low psychological safety, resulting in voice behaviors. Further, voice was related to perceptions of leadership emergence. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Murry, Allona S.; Badawy, Rebecca L.; Brouer, Robyn L.; and Howard, Matt C. (2025) "Finding Courage in Psychologically Unsafe Environments: The Impact of Trait Social Courage and Voice on Leadership Emergence," American Business Review: Vol. 28: No. 2, Article 2.
DOI: 10.37625/abr.28.2.343-360
Available at: https://digitalcommons.newhaven.edu/americanbusinessreview/vol28/iss2/2

DOI

10.37625/abr.28.2.343-360