How team regulatory focus connects to team voice: an emotional perspective

Purpose Despite extensive research on team voice, little is known about how collective motivational orientations are associated with differentiated forms of team voice through team-level emotional processes. Drawing on regulatory focus theory (RFT) and emotions as social information (EASI) model, this study aims to examine how team regulatory focus is associated with team voice through team passion and investigates the moderating role of servant leadership. Design/methodology/approach Using a three-wave, time-lagged team survey of 120 teams in China, the authors find that team promotion focus is positively associated with team harmonious passion, which in turn is positively associated with team promotive voice, whereas team prevention focus is positively associated with team obsessive passion, which in turn is positively associated with prohibitive voice. In addition, servant leadership strengthens the positive associations between harmonious and obsessive passion and their corresponding forms of team voice. Findings By uncovering the motivational-affective mechanisms underlying differentiated team voice, this study extends research on team voice, team passion and regulatory focus, while offering practical insights into how organizations can foster constructive team voice through motivational climates, collective emotions and supportive leadership. Originality/value First, it complements dominant safety-, climate- and relational-based explanations by identifying team regulatory focus as a foundational motivational antecedent of differentiated team voice. Second, it introduces team passion as the affective mechanism through which collective motivation is translated into promotive and prohibitive voice, thereby extending both RFT and the EASI model to the team level. Third, it identifies servant leadership as a critical boundary condition that facilitates the translation of collective passion into constructive team voice, integrating motivational, affective and leadership perspectives into a unified framework.