The Impact of Leader Trustworthiness on Employee Voice and Performance in China

Using a sample of 488 employees from a large information technology firm in mainland China, this article examines the relationships between leader trustworthiness, employee voice, and supervisor-rated employee performance, as well as individual employee perceptions of organizational attitudes toward uncertainty. Drawing from social cognitive theory, as well as from the literatures on leader trustworthiness and employee voice, this article explores the mediating mechanism of employee voice within the leader trustworthiness–employee performance relationship. Within this Chinese context, employee voice was found to partially mediate the positive relationship between leader trustworthiness and employee performance ratings. Employee perceptions of organizational attitudes toward uncertainty were also found to strengthen the mediated relationship. Implications and limitations are discussed