How responsible leadership translates into voice: the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of Guanxi

Grounded in social cognitive theory and social exchange theory, this study investigates how and under what conditions responsible leadership promotes employee voice behavior. Drawing on data from two waves of surveys involving 677 employees in China’s technology industry, we tested a moderated mediation model using structural equation modeling. Our findings reveal that (a) responsible leadership is positively associated with voice behavior; (b) the four dimensions of psychological empowerment, meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact, partially mediate this relationship; (c) supervisor-subordinate guanxi moderates the effect of responsible leadership on psychological empowerment; and (d) guanxi strengthens the indirect effect of responsible leadership on voice behavior primarily through the meaning dimension of psychological empowerment. These findings highlight the crucial role of psychological empowerment and relational context in promoting proactive employee behaviors that align with responsible leadership. Practical implications for leadership development and organizational practices are also discussed.