Is humility in leadership a promoter of employee voice? A moderated mediation model

Abstract

PurposeIn this study, we provide a better understanding of the role of leader humility in employee voice by examining simultaneously the mediating role of intention to share knowledge and the moderating role of organizational tenure. Design/methodologyWe developed and tested a mediated moderation model. The study hypotheses were tested with partial least squares structural equation modeling techniques. FindingsResults from 309 medical representatives supported the study hypotheses, indicating that leader humility is related to employee voice via intention to share knowledge, and this relationship is stronger for shorter-tenured employees than for longer-tenured ones. The study also provides implications for both theory and practice. Practical implicationsThe study provides empirical evidence in support of the positive effect of leader humility on employee voice. Therefore, we suggest that executive administration should pay particular attention to promoting humility in leadership to appropriately manage extra-role behavior such as employee voice. OriginalityRecently, leader humility has attracted scholarly attention in organization studies. It is considered a key antecedent of employees’ extra-role behavior and a contextual factor that is associated with many positive employee and organizational outcomes.