Abstract

Voice behavior represents a critical channel for university teachers to engage in institutional governance, which would significantly enhance decision-making efficiency, foster democratic management, improve workplace conditions, and elevate education quality within academic institutions. Anchored in social exchange theory, this research explores the influence of teacher-perceived ethical leadership and leader-member exchange on voice behavior, as well as the mediating role of leader-member exchange in the relationship between ethical leadership and voice behavior. By employing convenience sampling, the study gathered data from teacher members across twenty-three universities in Guangdong Province, China, resulting in 640 valid questionnaires, which were analyzed via structural equation modeling. Results demonstrate that perceived ethical leadership and leader-member exchange positively and significantly influence voice behavior, with leader-member exchange acting as a mediator. Additionally, this study confirms that ethical leadership impacts voice behavior both directly and indirectly, as, according to social exchange theory, when leaders exhibit exemplary moral conduct characterized by fairness, justice, and supportive actions, teacher members reciprocate by offering more constructive feedback to their leaders.