Supervisor‐Subordinate Guanxi and Employee Voice Behavior: Trust in Supervisor as a Mediator

Abstract

Previous researchers have shown that supervisor‐subordinate guanxi (s‐s guanxi) is related to a wide range of subordinates’ work-related outcomes, such as voice behavior; however, few have examined the correlation between s‐s guanxi and employee voice behavior. With a sample of 221 employees and their supervisors from 3 private companies in China, I examined the mediating effect of trust in supervisor on the relationship between s‐s guanxi and employee voice behavior by using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping analysis. Results showed that s‐s guanxi was positively related to employees’ promotive and prohibitive voice, and that trust in supervisor partly mediated these correlations. My findings extend extant research on the effects of s‐s guanxi on employee voice behavior and can be used as a guide by companies adopting diverse measures to achieve good s‐s behavior and, in turn, inspire employees’ voice behavior.