Corporate social responsibility and voice behavior: Psychological safety as a mediator

Abstract

Despite the increasing amount of attention being directed toward corporate social responsibility, there are still some research gaps relating to its outcomes. This study explored the relationship of corporate social responsibility with voice behavior as well as the mediating role of psychological safety. Using data collected from 231 employees in China, we examined the hypothesized relationships via structural equation modeling. Results revealed that corporate social responsibility was positively related to psychological safety and that psychological safety was positively related to voice behavior. This suggests that psychological safety acts as an underlying mechanism that explains the effect of corporate social responsibility on facilitating voice behavior. Our findings indicate that CSR alone is insufficient to spur Chinese employees' voice behavior; rather, organizations should aim to improve employees' psychological safety.