Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the reflection of democratic values to organizations and the silence behavior of employees. In today's world, both political participation and freedom of expression at the institutional level tend to decline. The fact that employees express their ideas clearly threatens not only the innovation and learning processes of organizations, but also the sustainability of democratic culture. Although the silence in the literature (Morrison & Milliken, 2000; Van Dyne et al., 2003) has been frequently examined in the organizational context, the relationship between this phenomenon and democratic values has not been adequately addressed. This article aims to fill this gap in the literature by discussing the culture of silence in both organizational and political dimensions. The research deals with its employee silence in defensive, acceptance and prosocial dimensions; He discusses the effects of these forms of silence on democratic participation behaviors. In addition, factors such as authoritarian management styles, high power distance and lack of psychological security reinforce the culture of silence. Findings show that the tendency of silence in the workplace does not only have institutional consequences, but also may play a role as a factor that limits citizens' participation in political processes. In summary, the internalization of democratic values in business life, the support of employees' voice and overcoming the culture of silence is critical for both the sustainable success of organizations and the strengthening of democratic societies. The study offers the theoretical and practical contributions to managers, policy makers and researchers.