Organizational career growth and subsequent voice behavior: The role of affective commitment and gender

• Longitudinal data from China were used to test the effect of career growth on voice.
• Career growth consists of career goal progress, professional development and rewards.
• All three facets of career growth were positively related to employee voice behavior.
• These relationships were partially mediated by affective organizational commitment.
• Gender moderated the career growth–voice behavior relationship.

Although research has established a connection between career growth and turnover intentions, there continues to be a need to study how employee career growth contributes positively to organizations. In the present research, we studied in particular how employees' organizational career growth is related to voice behavior. Employing theories of social exchange, organization-based self-esteem, and psychological attachment, we developed six hypotheses pertinent to this relationship, including the mediating role of affective organizational commitment and the moderating effect of gender. We tested our hypotheses using data from 328 employees in Mainland China over three time periods. As we hypothesized, we found positive relationships between the three dimensions of organizational career growth and subsequent voice behavior. Our results also verified that these relationships are partially mediated by affective organizational commitment and partially moderated by gender.