Does transformational leadership promote employee voice? Testing the mediating effect of psychological empowerment and moderating effect of leader–leader exchange

Purpose We study the impact of transformational leaders' empowering behaviors on their followers' willingness to express their opinions and ideas. Specifically, we hypothesize that the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) and employee voice (EV) is mediated by psychological empowerment (PE) and moderated by leader–leader exchange (LLX). Design/methodology/approach The data for our study were collected from 253 respondents working in the public and private sector organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) using a structured questionnaire. Findings Our study results highlight the significant role of TL in promoting employee PE and EV. Moreover, we found that the relationship between TL was moderated by LLX and mediated by PE. Research limitations/implications Our study is cross-sectional therefore we cannot confirm the causality and our focus on promotive voice in Saudi Arabia's high-power-distance context may limit broader generalizability. Originality/value The current research makes significant contribution to the leadership literature by highlighting the importance of transformational leader's upward relationship with their superiors on their subordinate's PE and subsequent voice behavior.