{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T04:57:28Z","timestamp":1777006648380,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776038400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Youth Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China","award":["No. 72202200"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["No. 72202200"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Employee voice, as a bottom-up proactive behavior, is crucial for organizational development. However, sustaining employee voice over time remains a shared challenge for both practice and research. Among various influencing factors, supervisor feedback, due to its central role in organizational interactions, serves as a key source of decision-making information affecting employees\u2019 subsequent voice intention. Nevertheless, existing research predominantly focuses on the unidirectional effects of supervisor feedback, often overlooking the bidirectional nature of leader\u2013subordinate interactions. In reality, the effectiveness of supervisor feedback ultimately depends on its congruence with the subordinate\u2019s psychological expectations. Methods: This study integrates person\u2013environment fit theory and role identity theory to investigate how the congruence between subordinates\u2019 expected feedback and supervisors\u2019 actual feedback influences subsequent voice behavior. Through two studies\u2014a scenario-based experiment with 201 participants and a retrospective questionnaire survey with 212 participants\u2014we employed polynomial regression and response surface analysis to examine four feedback congruence patterns. Results: In congruent situations, the \u201cexpected positive\u2013actual positive\u201d combination promotes subsequent voice behavior more effectively than the \u201cexpected negative\u2013actual negative\u201d combination. In incongruent situations, the \u201cexpected negative\u2013actual positive\u201d combination is more effective in promoting subsequent voice than the \u201cexpected positive\u2013actual negative\u201d combination. Furthermore, voice role identity mediates the relationship between feedback congruence and subsequent voice behavior, revealing a key psychological mechanism. Implications: This study moves beyond a direct antecedent framework by focusing on the congruence between feedback expectations and reality, thereby deepening the theoretical understanding of the dynamics of voice. By empirically demonstrating how congruent and positive feedback strengthens employees\u2019 internal identity as contributors, it provides practical insights for organizations aiming to foster a sustainable voice climate.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems14040429","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T10:19:14Z","timestamp":1776075554000},"page":"429","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Impact of the Fit Between Expected and Actual Feedback on Employees\u2019 Subsequent Voice Behavior"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Chunjie","family":"Fu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Business School, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qiongdan","family":"Xing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Business School, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yang","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Business School, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qian","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Business School, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jiaqin","family":"Ding","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Business School, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"507","DOI":"10.1080\/14330237.2020.1767957","article-title":"Does a paternalistic leader facilitate voice and creative performance? 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