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

Why speaking up at work matters

Many companies say they want employees to share ideas and concerns, yet in real life people often stay silent. This silence can hide problems, block fresh ideas, and slow a company’s ability to adapt. This study looks at when and why employees in China’s technology industry dare to speak up, focusing on how leaders behave and how close their relationships are with staff.

Leaders who care about more than profits

The researchers focus on a style called responsible leadership, where managers care not only about profits but also about employees, customers, society, and the environment. Such leaders listen, explain their decisions, and try to balance different interests fairly. When workers watch their boss handle conflicts openly and respectfully, they are more likely to feel that sharing honest views is welcome, not risky. The study suggests that this broader sense of responsibility sends a strong signal that thoughtful criticism and suggestions are part of doing a good job.

Feeling able and willing to have a voice

Simply having a well-meaning boss is not enough; employees also need to feel powerful in their own work. The authors examine psychological empowerment, which has four parts: finding one’s work meaningful, feeling capable, having some choice in how to do tasks, and believing one’s actions make a difference. Survey data from 677 employees and their supervisors show that responsible leaders strengthen all four of these feelings. In turn, empowered employees are more likely to suggest improvements, raise concerns, and offer new ideas that can help the organization.

The special role of close personal ties

In Chinese workplaces, informal personal ties between bosses and subordinates, known as guanxi, play a strong role. These ties can include socializing after work, emotional support, and help with personal matters. The study finds that when guanxi is strong, employees are more likely to see their leader’s responsible actions as sincere care rather than empty gestures. This closeness boosts the empowering effect of leadership, especially by deepening the sense that one’s work is meaningful and aligned with shared values. When guanxi is weak, the same leader behaviors have a weaker impact on how empowered employees feel.

How meaning at work turns into voice

Using statistical models, the researchers show that all four parts of empowerment help explain how responsible leadership leads to more employee voice. However, one part stands out: meaning. In workplaces where guanxi is strong, responsible leadership most strongly increases the feeling that work has purpose and value. That deep sense of purpose is what most clearly pushes employees to speak up. In contrast, feeling capable, free to choose, or impactful still matter, but they do not depend on guanxi in the same way and do not explain the link as strongly in this cultural setting.

What this means for everyday work life

Overall, the study suggests that to encourage honest ideas and concerns, leaders should combine fair, stakeholder-oriented decisions with genuine personal care. In Chinese tech firms and similar settings, investing in warm, trust-based relationships helps employees see their work as meaningful and feel safe to voice suggestions. For everyday workers, this means that having a boss who listens, explains choices, and maintains real human ties can make the difference between staying silent and confidently sharing ideas that help the whole organization improve.

Citation: Chen, P., Kee, D.M.H., Tao, X. et al. How responsible leadership translates into voice: the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of Guanxi. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 13, 663 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-07018-0

Keywords: responsible leadership, employee voice, psychological empowerment, guanxi, Chinese organizations