Mind Your Speech: Examining the Impact of Leader Mindfulness in Communication on Follower Error Reporting and Hiding in Organizations

Although researchers have demonstrated an increasing interest in the interpersonal antecedents of error reporting in employees, little is known about how interpersonal-level factors influence employee error hiding. Using a three-wave time-lagged survey design (N = 186), the present study investigates whether leader mindfulness in communication, a communication style exhibited by mindful leaders, predicts follower error hiding and reporting through two distinct mediators-- fear of punishment and relatedness, respectively. Findings reveal that leader mindfulness in communication negatively predicts follower error hiding, mediated by fear of punishment, and positively predicts follower error reporting through the organization's error management culture rather than via feelings of relatedness. It was further discovered that relatedness predicts error reporting, but not hiding. Similarly, fear of punishment predicts error hiding, but not reporting. This paper contributes to our understanding of the interpersonal antecedents and distinct motives behind error reporting and hiding while advancing research on mindfulness at work.