The Role of Safety Voice in Improving Organizational Information Security

Abstract

Organizational information security programs are typically thought to be driven from the top-down, but allowing employees to offer input is thought to be part of a comprehensive security climate. In this study, we investigate the role of employee safety voice in improving a company’s information security program. The results of an experiment comparing four types of safety voice suggest that the manner in which input is offered could be important, but the source of the input may be even more important. Male employees appear to be more effective at influencing managerial intentions to improve security than female employees. The implications and future directions of this research are discussed.