Shared leadership relates to civil servants’ voice behavior via psychological capital and organizational identification

This study examines how shared leadership (SL) is associated with civil servants' voice behavior (VB), focusing on indirect pathways via psychological capital (PsyCap) and organizational identification (OI). In a single-wave cross-sectional survey of 440 Chinese civil servants, SL was positively associated with PsyCap and OI. In turn, both factors were associated with higher levels of both promotive voice behavior (PVB) and prohibitive voice behavior (PRVB). Furthermore, SL showed indirect associations with VB through these psychological factors, underscoring the relevance of employees' psychological resources and OI in leadership-voice relationships. Importantly, these relationships reflect statistical associations rather than direct causal effects. By elucidating how SL relates to VB through these psychological pathways, this study contributes to a more integrated understanding of leadership and voice in organizational research. The findings also offer context-specific implications for leadership development and organizational management in public-sector settings.