Leader prohibitive voice shapes employee voice through psychological safety moderated by self-efficacy and generational differences

This study examines how leader prohibitive voice behavior shapes employees' own prohibitive voice under conditions of uncertainty. Drawing on Uncertainty Management Theory, we explore the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating effects of self-efficacy and generational cohort. Using matched survey data from 302 leader-follower dyads in Chinese organizations, we tested a moderated mediation model. Results indicate that leader prohibitive voice promotes follower prohibitive voice both directly and indirectly via enhanced psychological safety. This indirect effect is stronger for employees with lower self-efficacy, who are more sensitive to contextual cues. Moreover, generational differences emerged: for Generation Z employees, leader modeling had a weaker effect, whereas psychological safety more strongly predicted their voice behavior compared to Millennials. These findings highlight that leaders reduce uncertainty not only through behavior modeling but also by fostering a psychologically safe climate, and that employee characteristics shape how such cues are interpreted. The study contributes to theory by integrating behavioral, cognitive, and generational perspectives on voice behavior and offers practical implications for leadership training, climate management, and generationally responsive organizational practices.