Paving the path to employee voice: Leader voice endorsement transparency and its impact on voice behavior

Abstract Despite extensive research on leaders' endorsement of employee voice, the transparency of their communication of endorsement criteria remains underexplored. This omission is consequential: when employees perceive endorsement processes as opaque, they struggle to discern what constitutes valuable voice and consequently hesitate to speak up. Drawing on the social information processing theory, this study investigates how leader voice endorsement transparency (VET)—defined as the extent to which leaders openly communicate criteria for endorsing employee suggestions—serves as a critical social cue that enhances employee voice behavior. We propose that leader VET increases employee voice. This effect is particularly pronounced for employees with low workplace status perception, who rely more on explicit leader guidance when deciding whether to speak up, and it is mediated by heightened voice efficacy. Across two methodologically complementary studies (an experiment and a field study), we found support for the above relationship. These findings offer actionable strategies for fostering effective voice cultures.