How does authoritarian leadership and abusive supervision suppress employee voice? A meta-analysis based on cognitive and resource perspectives

Purpose The study uses a meta-analysis method to explore the relationship between authoritarian leadership/abusive supervision and employee voice. Design/methodology/approach A meta-analysis of 354 articles (427 effect sizes) were conducted ( N = 169,127) with a structural equation model. Findings (1) Direct effect studies showed that abusive supervision/ authoritarian leadership negatively affected employees’ promotive/prohibitive voice, among which authoritarian leadership is the explanation for promotive and prohibitive voices being stronger than that of abusive supervision. (2) Meta-analytic structural equation model shows that authoritarian leadership and abusive supervision reduce employees’ psychological safety and voice efficacy by weakening leadership–member exchange (LMX), inhibiting employee voice; they can reduce employees’ psychological safety and voice efficacy by weakening the relationship between superiors and subordinates guanxi (SSG) and reduce employee voice. Among them, authoritarian leadership has a greater effect on LMX than SSG, and abusive supervision has a greater impact on LMX than that of SSG. LMX has a greater impact on employees’ psychological safety than SSG, and SSG has a greater impact on employees’ voice efficacy than LMX. Originality/value The research reveals the relationship between authoritarian leadership/abusive supervision and employee voice and provides a reference for improving the leader channel of voice.