When leader greed promotes voice behavior: the moderating role of employee integrity identity

Purpose Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study investigates how leader greed and employee integrity identity jointly influence employee voice behavior through the cognitive mechanism of leader immorality encouragement. Design/methodology/approach We conduct three time-lagged surveys. A pilot study examines the joint effects of leader greed and employee integrity identity on team voice behavior. Studies 1 and 2 replicate the findings at the individual level and further reveal the mediating role of leader immorality encouragement. Findings Leader greed promotes voice behavior when employees have high integrity identity but suppresses it when integrity identity is low. The results remain consistent across team and individual levels. Moreover, leader immorality encouragement mediates this interactive effect at the individual level. Originality/value This research extends the nomological network of greed to the interpersonal domain and reveals its potential constructive function in promoting voice behavior under high-integrity identity conditions.