IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ehl/lserod/68035.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Transformational leadership and employee voice behavior: a Pygmalion mechanism

Author

Listed:
  • Duan, Jinyun
  • Li, Chenwei
  • Xu, Yue
  • Wu, Chia-Huei

Abstract

We theorized and examined a Pygmalion perspective beyond those proposed in past studies in the relationship between transformational leadership and employee voice behavior. Specifically, we proposed that transformational leadership influences employee voice through leaders’ voice expectation and employees’ voice role perception (i.e., Pygmalion mechanism). We also theorized that personal identification with transformational leaders influences the extent to which employees internalize leaders’ external voice expectation as their own voice role perception. In a time-lagged field study, we found that leaders’ voice expectation and employees’ voice role perception (i.e., the Pygmalion process) mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and voice behavior. In addition, we found transformational leadership strengthens employees’ personal identification with the leader, which in turn, as a moderator, amplifies the proposed Pygmalion process. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Duan, Jinyun & Li, Chenwei & Xu, Yue & Wu, Chia-Huei, 2017. "Transformational leadership and employee voice behavior: a Pygmalion mechanism," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 68035, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:68035
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/68035/
    File Function: Open access version.
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jacqueline A‐M. Coyle‐Shapiro & Ian Kessler & John Purcell, 2004. "Exploring Organizationally Directed Citizenship Behaviour: Reciprocity or ‘It's my Job’?," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(1), pages 85-106, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mihaela TĂNASE, 2020. "Influence Of Transformational Leadership On Innovation In Organizations," Network Intelligence Studies, Romanian Foundation for Business Intelligence, Editorial Department, issue 15, pages 81-89, June.
    2. Yuechao Du & Zhongming Wang, 2021. "How Does Emotional Labor Influence Voice Behavior? The Roles of Work Engagement and Perceived Organizational Support," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Inmaculada Silla & Francisco J. Gracia & José M. Peiró, 2020. "Upward Voice: Participative Decision Making, Trust in Leadership and Safety Climate Matter," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-17, May.
    4. Sehrish Ilyas & Ghulam Abid & Fouzia Ashfaq & Muhammad Ali & Wasif Ali, 2021. "Status Quos Are Made to be Broken: The Roles of Transformational Leadership, Job Satisfaction, Psychological Empowerment, and Voice Behavior," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, April.
    5. Lianying Zhang & Xiaocan Li & Ziqing Liu, 2022. "Fostering Constructive Deviance by Leader Moral Humility: The Mediating Role of Employee Moral Identity and Moderating Role of Normative Conflict," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(2), pages 731-746, October.
    6. Asma Nisar & Tahira Hassan Butt & Ghulam Abid & Saira Farooqi & Tehmina Fiaz Qazi, 2020. "Impact of grit on voice behavior: mediating role of organizational commitment," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 1-9, December.
    7. Man Lung Jonathan Kwok & Raymond Kwong & Macy Wong & Jinyun Duan, 2023. "Great leaders do everything: a moderated mediation model of transformational leadership, trust in leader, helping behaviour, and idiosyncratic deals," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(2), pages 549-569, April.
    8. Shang, Yufan & Jiang, Yuhui & Pan, Yan & Yan, Qiong, 2024. "Leader's relational power and follower creativity: The mediating role of follower relational identification and the moderating role of perceived organizational support for creativity," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 757-766.
    9. Zhen Wang & Shiyong Xu & Yanling Sun & Yanjun Liu, 2019. "Transformational leadership and employee voice: an affective perspective," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    10. Mwania Johnson Kavita & Ursulla A. Okoth & Jeremiah M. Kalai, 2024. "Influence of Principals’ Supportive Leadership Style on Tutors’ Support for Implementation of Performance Appraisal of Tutors in Public Primary Teachers Training Colleges in Kenya," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(10), pages 1599-1614, October.
    11. Rawan Abukhait & Faridahwati Mohd. Shamsudin & Shaker Bani-Melhem & Mohd Ahmad Al-Hawari, 2023. "Obsessive–compulsive personality and creative performance: the moderating effect of manager coaching behavior," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 375-396, January.
    12. Xiaokai Li & Lijing Zhao & Shenyang Hai, 2025. "CEO’s entrepreneurial orientation and employees’ innovative behaviour: the roles of environmental turbulence and felt responsibility," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    13. K. Bharanitharan & Zhen Xiong Chen & Somayeh Bahmannia & Kevin B. Lowe, 2019. "Is Leader Humility a Friend or Foe, or Both? An Attachment Theory Lens on Leader Humility and Its Contradictory Outcomes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(3), pages 729-743, December.
    14. Zheng, Yuyan & Wu, Chia-Huei & Zhang, Long & Reich, Tara C. & Chang, Chiachi, 2025. "Silence Speaks Volumes: The role of workplace ostracism and ethical leadership in shaping moral identity at work and ethical voice," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    15. Yuzy Prila Adhyke & Anis Eliyana & Ahmad Rizki Sridadi & Dina Fitriasia Septiarini & Aisha Anwar, 2023. "Hear Me Out! This Is My Idea: Transformational Leadership, Proactive Personality and Relational Identification," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440221, January.
    16. Shenghui Wang & Irene E. De Pater & Ming Yi & Yuchen Zhang & Tsung-Pao Yang, 2022. "Empowering leadership: employee-related antecedents and consequences," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 457-481, June.
    17. Naveed Ahmad Khan & Silke Michalk & Kirill Sarachuk & Hafiz Ali Javed, 2022. "If You Aim Higher Than You Expect, You Could Reach Higher Than You Dream: Leadership and Employee Performance," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-13, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shalini Srivastava & Poornima Madan, 2016. "Understanding the Roles of Organizational Identification, Trust and Corporate Ethical Values in Employee Engagement–Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Relationship: A Study on Indian Managers," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 41(4), pages 314-330, November.
    2. Ronconi, Lucas & Zarazaga S.J., Rodrigo, 2015. "Labor Exclusion and the Erosion of Citizenship Responsibilities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 453-461.
    3. Edward Wong Sek Khin & Thanalechumy Seeramulu & Rusnah Muhamad & Mohammad Nazri & Lau Wee Yeap, 2017. "CSR organisational taxonomy and job characteristics on performance: SME case studies," The Audit Financiar journal, Chamber of Financial Auditors of Romania, vol. 15(146), pages 230-230.
    4. Bignya Patnaik & Mahendra Kumar Shukla, 2021. "Diversity and Equality Management System and Perceived Organisational Performance: A Mediating Role of Organisational Citizenship Behaviour," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 9(2), pages 215-234, May.
    5. Ming-Chuan Yu & Qiang Mai & Sang-Bing Tsai & Yi Dai, 2018. "An Empirical Study on the Organizational Trust, Employee-Organization Relationship and Innovative Behavior from the Integrated Perspective of Social Exchange and Organizational Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-14, March.
    6. Verbeke, W.J.M.I. & Wuyts, S.H.K., 2006. "Moving in Social Circles – Social Circle Membership and Performance Implications," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2006-041-MKT, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    7. Inés Herrero & Mar Bornay-Barrachina, 2024. "Leadership in a different light: understanding co-worker exchange in a triad," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(5), pages 1253-1280, May.
    8. Yoshikawa, Katsuhhiko & Wu, Chia-Huei & Lee, Hyun-Jung, 2020. "Generalized exchange orientation: conceptualization and scale development," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 101478, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Sangeeta Sahu & Avinash D. Pathardikar, 2014. "Job Cognition and Justice Influencing Organizational Attachment," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(1), pages 21582440145, February.
    10. Andrea C Vial & Janine Bosak & Patrick C Flood & John F Dovidio, 2021. "Individual variation in role construal predicts responses to third-party biases in hiring contexts," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(2), pages 1-28, February.
    11. Cam Caldwell, 2011. "Duties Owed to Organizational Citizens – Ethical Insights for Today’s Leader," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(3), pages 343-356, September.
    12. Binoy Joseph & Amruta Deshpande & Ritu Gupta, 2024. "Innovative Human Resource Practices and Selected HR Outcomes in Software Firms in Kerala," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 7194-7215, June.
    13. Wayne E. Baker & Nathaniel Bulkley, 2014. "Paying It Forward vs. Rewarding Reputation: Mechanisms of Generalized Reciprocity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(5), pages 1493-1510, October.
    14. Gervasi, Deborah & Faldetta, Guglielmo & Pellegrini, Massimiliano Matteo & Maley, Jane, 2022. "Reciprocity in organizational behavior studies: A systematic literature review of contents, types, and directions," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 441-457.
    15. Allen, Mathew R. & Adomdza, Gordon K. & Meyer, Marc H., 2015. "Managing for innovation: Managerial control and employee level outcomes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 371-379.
    16. Nishat Ameer, 2017. "Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Performance and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)," International Journal of Business and Administrative Studies, Professor Dr. Bahaudin G. Mujtaba, vol. 3(5), pages 183-196.
    17. Wen Wu & Fangcheng Tang & Xiaoyu Dong & Chunlei Liu, 2015. "Different identifications cause different types of voice: A role identity approach to the relations between organizational socialization and voice," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 251-287, March.
    18. Ronconi, Lucas & Zarazaga S.J., Rodrigo, 2015. "Labor Exclusion and the Erosion of Citizenship Responsibilities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 453-461.
    19. Dettmers, Jan, 2014. "Job definitions and service behaviour. An investigation among technical service employees," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 25(4), pages 248-262.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:68035. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: LSERO Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.